UY Aviation says it's cooperating with investigations in Mumbai plane crash

"The aircraft was not yet operating on Non-Schedule Operators Permit of UY Aviation Pvt Limited," the company has added.

Reuters Photo

Mumbai: Under the scanner after one of its planes crashed at a construction site in Ghatkopar last week, UY Aviation has said that it is extending its support into the probe and that it is also providing help to family members of those killed in the tragedy.

Four occupants of the ill-fated plane and a man on ground were killed when the aircraft came crashing down last Thursday. That the plane crashed into an open construction site and not one or several of the high-rise buildings in close vicinity was the only consolation. And while Prabhat Kathuria, husband of the plane's co-pilot, has blamed UY Aviation for the accident, the company maintains it is cooperating with the investigations. "We are extending full cooperation to law enforcement agencies involved in aftermath of crash. Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has started investigation in coordination with relevant agencies," the company said in a statement. "It's pertinent to note the aircraft was not yet operating on Non-Schedule Operators Permit of UY Aviation Pvt Limited as it was still to be released to service."

It was reported in the immediate aftermath of the crash that the plane was on a test flight and had taken off from the Juhu airstrip. Kathuria though says that his wife had called him before the flight and had said that bad weather would prevent take off. That the plane did take off and eventually came crashing down is a horrific twist of fate.

While a high-level probe has been initiated, there is also a hint that a blame game has begun. The chartered plane previously belonged to the UP government but was reportedly sold to UY Aviation. Questions pertaining to the age of the plane, the quality of repairs carried out on and inside it, why it was allowed to fly while it was pouring in Mumbai are just some of the angles being investigated.

(With inputs from ANI)