Faridabad crash: Probe panel report in 3 months

After the DGCA-appointed accident inspector,Manish Kumar (Deputy Director,air safety),completed preliminary investigation at the crash site,the wreckage was brought in a truck to the company’s office near the airport. The Civil Aviation Ministry said that in the absence of any cockpit voice recorder,the probe panel will have to rely heavily on the engine remains and conversation with the air traffic controller to determine the cause of the crash.

The ministry on Friday said the three-member probe panel will be headed by Air Marshal (Retd)

P S Ahluwalia,who is also looking into Arunachal Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu’s chopper crash in April. “We have asked them to submit their report in three months’ time,” said a senior ministry official.

The wreckage,which is now in the custody of the DGCA,will be also made available to the insurance company,if required. Apart from the two pilots and five others on board the air ambulance,three women who perished at the crash site will also be compensated by the insurance company.

“The aircraft was covered by third party insurance for Rs 270 crore. In this case,the compensation for those who perished on ground may go up to Rs 50 lakh,depending on various factors,” Gaur said.

The insurance company will also be liable to pay for the damage caused to nearby buildings due to the crash.

The company had inducted the Swiss-made aircraft,single-engine turboprop Pilatus PC-12 earlier this year at a cost of Rs 11.5 crore. The company on Thursday declared a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the families of people who had died on the ground.