It has appointed an inspector of inquiry, who will take charge of all material evidence at the site of the mishap including the wreckage of the plane in sector 22.
Aviation regulator DGCA today began an inquiry into the crash of a small medical ambulance aircraft in a residential area here that left 10 persons dead, including seven on board, by inspecting the site of the mishap.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has appointed an inspector of inquiry, who will take charge of all material evidence at the site of the mishap including the wreckage of the plane in sector 22 here.
A six-member DGCA team has started inspecting the site of the crash, officials said. The inspector of inquiry will hand over the material evidence to the Court of Inquiry when it will be set up. In Chandigarh, Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda expressed shock over the death of 10 persons in the crash and announced a compensation of Rs2 lakh each to the next of kin of the three deceased persons hailing from Faridabad.
He also announced a financial assistance of Rs20,000 to each of the three injured. In a statement issued here, the Chief Minister said that the damage caused to the house due to the plane crash would be assessed and duly compensated. A senior DGCA official had said last night that the plane was in contact with the Air Traffic Control and on the radar before suddenly vanishing and losing touch. Three persons on the ground --all women--were among the 10 dead when the P-12 single- engine turboprop aircraft belonging to Delhi-based Air Chartered Services India Limited crashed in Jawaharnagar locality near the IAF station in the Delhi suburb at around 10:35 PM shortly before landing at IGI airport in Delhi.
Mangled remains of the aircraft, oxygen cylinders, icebox, and other medical articles were strewn at the site of the mishap which has been cordoned off and security personnel deployed. The incident was a nightmare of sorts for the residents of the densely populated Parvatiya Colony as they came out of their houses after hearing the massive explosion.
"It was very scary. I heard a loud explosion and rushed outside. I saw flames all over. I immediately called my friends and nearby people to douse the fire," said Rohan, a resident of the colony. Police said fire tenders and rescue teams had difficulty in reaching the spot due to the crowd assembled at the spot. Rescue operations were being carried out for two hours. "We faced lot of difficulty in rescuing people as there was a power cut in the area," said Sitaram, an eyewitness. Lata Devi, another eyewitness said, "We were about to sleep when we heard a huge sound. It was a huge explosion. For a minute I could not understand what has happened, but later realised that something big has fallen on the house."
Minutes before the crash, the commander of the ill-fated plane, Capt Harpreet, reported to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) that he was facing bad weather, the sources said, adding that he was asked by the ATC not to descend.
But probably a technical failure led the aircraft to come down and crash, they said, adding that these were suspicions which would have to be corroborated by evidence during the detailed investigations.
A preliminary probe report has already been submitted to the Ministry which has appointed a Committee of Enquiry to determine the causes and contributory factors leading to the crash and make recommendations to prevent such accidents future.
A DGCA team led by deputy director (Air Safety) is already at the site collecting data and evidence needed for the full-fledged probe.
A working group has been set up to review existing safety regulatory frame work of general aviation, non-scheduled operators' permit (NSOP) holders and air ambulance operations.
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