Love in air, plane in river

Romancing pilots caused Baramati crash: DGCA probe

MUMBAI: As their romance soared to new altitudes, two young pilots plunged along with their plane into a river, nearly causing a major mishap.

An inquiry report by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has revealed that the March 14 crash of a VT-AC plane – with a man and a woman in their 20s in the cockpit — was not caused by a technical snag.

The report, involving pilots from the Academy of Carver Aviation Pvt Ltd in Baramati near Pune, blames the crash on “non-standard behaviour inside the cockpit where utmost sanctity was necessary”. 

Translating the officialese to this correspondent, a source said, “The two trainee pilots were romancing and that led to the plane nose-diving into the Nira river after it hit an electricity cable.”

“Both were trainees and were flying with a few bottles allegedly containing strong beverages. They had reportedly been smoking too,” said the DGCA source.

According to DGCA Kanu Gohain, “The aircraft sustained severe damages.” Both the pilots were safe and rescued.
In-charge of DGCA’s air safety wing in the Mumbai regional office Sanjay Bramhane, who probed the matter, said the according to norms the academy’s chief flight instructor (CFI) should have ensured a trainer was on the flight.
Sources said if the plane had crashed in a residential area, it could have resulted in a big tragedy.