Captain Sanjay Karve held responsible and has been suspended by The State Civil Aviation Department for the helicopter mishap in Udgir in Latur district on May 26. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had a narrow escape in the mishap.
Sikorsky (VT-CMM), a state-owned chopper was scrapped after it met with the accident, an official said, adding, “Generally, the shelf life of a chopper is 25 years and it can be extended for another five years at the most after maintenance procedures.”
He clarified that the Uttar Pradesh state government has sold this chopper to Sikorsky recently and it was functioning properly. “The Director General of Civil Aviation has strict rules and nobody can bring scrapped chopper into operation by violating the norms of DGCA,” the official said. The copter was in good condition during the CM’s visit to Latur, yet the mishap occurred. The State Civil Aviation Department has suspended the state’s oldest captain Karve till the investigation is over.
The official said, “It will take a while as all angles need to be investigated. The state has applied for insurance of this chopper as the state was paying a huge amount as premium on the sum of insured amount.” However, he refused to disclose the name of an insurance company or the amount and annual premium which was paid.
He further said that the company has taken charge of the scrapped chopper and shifted it to conduct an audit of the accident. “The company has already taken the black box. It also has taken the important parts for inspection to investigate the accident. The final report is expected within six months,” he said.
