The helicopter crash which claimed the life of Andhra Pradesh chief minister YSR Reddy was caused by pilots' error who lost the chopper's control.
The helicopter crash that killed Andhra chief minister YSR Reddy in September 2009 happened because of an error by the pilots, an inquiry has found.
The pilots started looking for a flight manual after the chopper developed a technical snag. They were so engrossed for six minutes that they failed to notice that weather conditions had deteriorated and visibility was low, thus leading to a “loss of situational awareness”, the report filed by a four-member investigation panel said.
The panel submitted its report on Wednesday. Another probable reason for the accident was that pilots lost control after the copter started descending as it got caught in a severe down draught.
Reddy’s chopper crashed in the dense Nallamalla Hills on September 2. The next day, the broken chopper was found on the top of Rudrakonda Hill.
The investigation team searched the crash site for crucial evidence and reconstructed the crash at the Andhra Pradesh Aviation Corporation Limited (APACL) hanger in Hyderabad.
Various technical inputs and analysis were coordinated with Airports Authority of India, Indian Air Force, Indian Meteorological Department, National Aeronautical Laboratories, Bangalore, and Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratories, Hyderabad.
The Central Bureau of Investigation also provided technical inputs. According to the report, the crew flew in Instrument Flying Condition even though the flight plan was cleared for Visual Flight Rules.
The safety recommendations made in the report and the regulatory issues, including the functioning of APACL that owned the helicopter, were being considered by the government, an official spokesman said.
The cockpit voice recorder downloads, engine and electronic control unit were sent to the US for analysis.
The probe team also sought help from the helicopter and engine manufacturers, Bell Helicopters, Goodrich and Rolls Royce, among others. Canada’s Transport Safety Board and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also helped in the
investigation.
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