JOIN USThe initial probe conducted by the AAIB into the crash-landing of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ chopper in Latur last month has prima facie found lapses on the part of the pilot in the accident.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which comes under the Civil Aviation Ministry, has wrapped up its initial probe into the chopper accident and submitted its report, a source said.
“The initial probe into the crash-landing of Fadnavis’ helicopter last month has prima facie found lapses on the part of the pilot as one of the probable causes of the accident,” an AAIB official said.
Fadnavis had a narrow escape when his helicopter got entangled in overhead wires and crash-landed in Latur district in Maharashtra on May 25 after the pilot tried to descend due to bad weather, soon after take-off.
“The pilot failed to assess the load on the helicopter on a day of high temperature. Since heat makes it harder for a chopper/aircraft to get off the ground, he should not have taken off with almost full load,” the official added.
Besides, the SOP required for the helicopter operations were also not followed properly, a source in the AAIB said.