BENGALURU: The mystery surrounding crash landing of a microlight, VTUMJ, around 8.30 am on July 16 has been unravelled and sources said the man piloting the aircraft was Capt Amarnath, safety manager of the Government Flying Training School and and in charge of Air Traffic Control (ATC). He was flying with a passenger.
The TNIE probe revealed that the aircraft, VTUMJ, is owned by Kumaraswamy. The spot where the aircraft crash landed and the axle broke can be seen and marks are visible of the broken axle scraping the tarmac after the right wheel sheared around 8.35 am when the aircraft crash landed a few seconds after takeoff. A microlight carries around 60 litres of fuel which can be extremely dangerous on impact, experts said.
The big question is, despite being a government employee, how was he flying a private aircraft? Second, why was the crash not reported as mandated by law within 24 hours? Third, who gave permission for the aircraft to be dismantled in a hurry and removed from the Jakkur Aerodrome? Why did he not report the incident, having inspected the aircraft?
Two eyewitnesses confirmed to TNIE that they saw the accident. The owner of the aircraft, Kumaraswamy, did not bring the accident to the notice of the authorities. When TNIE contacted him, he threw a challenge, saying that no accident occurred and the aircraft is at the hangar of the Government Flying Training School, Jakkur.
Jakkur: Police plaint filed
Sources confirmed there are call details with ATC of the crash as ATC was communicating with the pilot at that time. Also, the aircraft was dismantled and ferried out for repairs. It was brought back after five days and placed in the hangar. This again is mysterious, considering that the government aerodrome is a restricted area. A police complaint has been filed and the investigation is on.
Meanwhile, Director General of Civil Aviation too is conducting its own probe. Both the agencies will seek CCTV footage of entry and exit of the aircraft from the aerodrome. They will also record the accounts of eyewitnesses and pilots who were in the air at the time of the accident, in addition to speaking to the official concerned. When contacted, Basava Reddy, who is the secretary of the Government Flying Training School, refused to provide any details.