Asaram copter crash: DGCA blames ‘improper’ landing site

A team of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Gandhinagar Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) officials have launched an inquiry into Wednesday's helicopter crash at Godhra in which spiritual guru Asaram Bapu and two others had a narrow escape.

After a DGCA team from Ahmedabad visited the spot on Wednesday and conducted preliminary inquiry, another team from Mumbai reached the spot today to carry forward the probe.

FSL officials and geologists also visited the crash site and collected samples of the soil and other materials.

After preliminary inquiry, DGCA officials said the cause of the accident could be improper landing site. "The accident was not caused by the mistake of the pilot but because of the improper landing site," a DGCA official said, adding further inquiry was on.

Captain Ravindra Singh, the pilot, said the helicopter had started shaking moments before landing, which caused imbalance, leading to the accident. "In that case, I decided to apply more power for a fair landing as my main concern was the safety of passengers. All this happened in just three seconds. It was a controlled landing. But as the soil on which it landed was slippery, the chopper skidded and lay tilted on the ground," he said.

ALSO READ

Modi on the move, his minders run digital war room for next big shows

Modi addresses farmers, blames Centre for delay in Narmada gates

'Top cop Pandey, now on run, plotted Ishrat encounter with IB man'

NIA nabs 2 Ajmer Sharif blast suspects in Vadodara