Mumbai: Five people, included a passer-by, were killed when a small chartered plane crashed near Sarvoday Nagar in Ghatkopar, next to an under- construction building. There were four people in the aircraft — two pilots and two aircraft maintenance engineers.

All four have been killed in the crash and their bodies have been taken to Rajawadi Hospital A DGCA official said the aircraft belonged to UY Aviation Pvt Ltd, which had bought it from the Uttar Pradesh government. “The aircraft took off from Juhu airport for a test flight.

There were two pilots and two aviation maintenance engineers on board. All on board aircraft along with one person on the ground are dead. Those on board were board were Capt PS Rajput, Co pilot Maria Zuberi, AME Surbhi and aircraft technician Manish Pandey,” the official was quoted as saying by Indian Express.

Eyewitnesses said that the plane was seen hurtling down in the narrow Jeevadaya Lane area and crashed with a deafening sound before breaking into pieces and bursting into flames around 1.15 p.m.The fuselage had broken into several pieces and one piece was recovered at least 50 metres away while some other portions of the plane burnt in the premises of an under-construction building. The fire was brought under control within half an hour by the fire brigade.

The aircraft’s crucial Flight Data Recorder or Black Box was recovered. A local passerby in the vicinity of the crash was burnt fatally when some burning ATF fuel from the aircraft fell on him, said an eyewitness who was among the first to reach the spot.

The cause of the crash is not known and it occurred in the compound of the under construction Jagruti apartments, thereby averting a potentially major disaster. There are usually at least four dozen labourers working on the premises but they had taken a lunch break when the aircraft hurtled there, creating a crater by its impact. An Uttar Pradesh government spokesperson confirmed that the Mumbai-based UY Aviation Pvt Ltd had bought the aircraft a few years ago.

With IANS inputs

SOURCE : http://www.bfirst.in/category/nation/chartered-plane-crashes-near-under-construction-building-in-mumbai-496849