CM chopper crash: Maharashtra government says yet to receive report from DGCA

Mumbai city news: A source said DGCA would take another two weeks to prepare its final report and submit it to the state government

A day after reports of initial investigation blaming one of the pilots for last month’s helicopter accident in which chief minister Devendra Fadnavis escaped unhurt, the state government on Friday clarified that they had not received any report from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The helicopter, a Sikorsky S-76C++, was carrying Fadnavis, three officials and had two pilots.(HT)

A source said DGCA would take another two weeks to prepare its final report and submit it to the state government.

The helicopter, a Sikorsky S-76C++, was carrying Fadnavis, three officials and had two pilots. It crash-landed in Latur district on May 25. Only one person sustained minor injuries in the accident. At the time, DGCA grounded the pilots — captain Sanjay Kurve and captain Mohit Sharma — till the probe was completed.

According to media reports, the initial probe conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of DGCA has blamed the pilot for the crash-landing. It has observed that the pilot failed to assess the load on the chopper during a hot day.

“We have not received any report from the DGCA yet,” said Valsa Nair Singh, principal secretary, general administration department.

However, the source confirmed that DCGA had conveyed to the state government about the initial report.

“DGCA will now prepare a final report based on its primary investigation. It needs at least two weeks to do so,” said a senior official.

Meanwhile, the state has formed an expert committee to decide parameters for buying new helicopter.

“When Sirkorsky S-76C++ was purchased in 2011, it was the best aircraft available in the market. But now things have changed and we have newer version of choppers with upgraded technology and more security features. This needs to be studied by a team of experts. Based on the suggestions of the committee, the government will buy choppers,” another source who did not wish to be named said.

The source also said that a team from Sikorsky had inspected the damaged chopper. They concluded that the aircraft could not be repaired.