Ghatkopar Crash: Pilots Contacted ATC Minutes Before Tragedy

In a statement, UY Aviation said it had all the “necessary requirments” & “approvals” in place for the test flight.

5 people were killed in Ghatkopar where a chartered plane crashed on Thursday, 28 June, killing four people on board and one pedestrian.

(Photo: AP)

After the dismal plane crash that shook Mumbai on Thursday, 28 June, killing all on board and a pedestrian, reports have emerged that the pilots were in touch with the Juhu Air Traffic Control (ATC) minutes before the crash.

According to NDTV, the pilots of the Beechcraft King Air C90 aircraft at 1:07 pm spoke to Juhu ATC to confirm that they were set to land.

Sixty seconds later, something went horribly wrong and the plane with four people on board crashed seven kilometres away from touchdown, in Mumbai’s densely populated Ghatkopar.

In a statement issued on Sunday, 1 July, UY Aviation said it had all the “necessary requirments” and “approvals” in place for the test flight but the contact with Mumbai ATC was reportedly lost 40 minutes after the ill-fated aircraft took off from Juhu Aerodrome at approx 12.20 hours IST on 28 June, reported The Indian Express.

The Mumbai-based private chartered aircraft firm added that "it is extending its full co-operation to all the regulatory and law enforcement agencies involved in the aftermath of the tragic crash."

The aircraft was up in flames following an explosion after the crash, killing all on board and a pedestrian. The investigators are yet to examine the black box, which would reveal detailed reports about what actually happened in the course the flight’s descent to the Mumbai Airport during its test flight.

Husband of the co-pilot of the chartered plane, on 29 June, sought to know who cleared the flight despite the adverse weather conditions and if the aircraft was fit for flying.

Prabhat Kathuria, the husband of late Marya Zuberi, the co-pilot who lost her life in the crash, issued a statement saying,

The company involved in the ill-fated plane’s repairs seems to have been incapable of detecting the technical snags that could have led to its crash.

Prabhat Kathuria, husband of late co-pilot Marya Zuberi

Kathuria also questioned if the aircraft was fit to fly. Kathuria said UY Aviation, the owners of the aircraft, "seems to have completely disregarded their responsibility to check whether such a plane should go off the ground."

News18 reported that the aircraft did not have a mandatory certificate of airworthiness. The crash on 28 June in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar, was the aircraft’s first test flight since the 2008, News18 added.