A trainer aircraft with the Indian Navy's aerobatics team, Sagar Pawan, crashed into a two-storied building during an air show here on Wednesday.
Two naval pilots, Maurya and his co-pilot Nair were killed, police commissioner A K Khan said. The pilots had come from Goa where they were based. He was last seen in the morning by hotel staffers in the coffee shop having breakfast. Even while sipping his tea, he was seen gesticulating his hands to show how a plane could go up or down. The naval team comprising nine members had checked into a Hyderabad hotel on February 27.
The aircraft, an HJT-16 Kiran Mk2 trainer built by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, crashed a couple of minutes before noon in the Bowenpally locality near the old Begumpet Airport in the heart of the city. The police and the fire brigade had difficulty reaching the congested crash site.
Four people in the building, a part of which was badly damaged, were injured, as the plane fell on the side of the complex. Two of the injured are believed to be in serious condition and have been shifted to hospital. The debris from the crash fell on a car, crushing it. The building has developed cracks and residents are being evacuated.
The planes were showing acrobatic maneuvers when the incident took place. One of the aircraft, part of the navy's aerobatics team that uses four trainers, was unable to pull up from a dive and went into a spiral as the planes were breaking away from the formation and going in different directions. The acrobatics by the planes had begun even as Praful Patel, minister for civil aviation, was talking on the rostrum.
Thousands of people were enjoying the spectacle when disaster struck, sending thick clouds of smoke into the air. According to witnesses, the plane crashed into the mobile phone towers on top of the building. They heard a loud boom, after which the plane went down.
There are conflicting eye witness accounts. An old lady - a vegetable vendor - who was laying chilies on the ground close to the spot said that suddenly a boy of a pilot fell besides her, even as the plane went forward and crashed into the building. Hundreds of eye witnesses saw the plane fall and go up in flame.
On the way it snapped at electricity wires. There was leakage from the fuselage and whole area was covered with aviation fuel, putting the entire area to the risk of fire. But later fire brigade official spread foam to prevent a fire. One of the pilots tried to open his parachute while ejecting. Probably the height was too little and therefore the parachute did not open. The unopened parachute was seen at the site by eye witnesses.
Said Ashok, who was in his house at the time: "I was inside the house when I heard a loud noise and I came out to see flames."
An hour after the crash, Praful Patel addressing a pre-scheduled press conference had no details about the crash. "I hope for the best,” he said. "I can’t give you any information. I have none,” he added.
Present at the airshow were the whos who of Indian aviation industry including minister Praful Patel, Jet Airways boss Naresh Goyal, Kingfishers Vijay Mallaya, Air India MD Arvind Jadhav, civil aviation secretary Madvana Nambiar, GMR boss G M Rao, GVK boss G V Krishna Reddy and dozens of representatives of Boeing, Raytheon and other companies. Commander Maurya who was commanding the flight belonged to the naval establishment INS Hansa in Goa.
Hyderabad’s Begumpet airport is used for VIP and private flights. The area where the crash occurred falls under the jurisdiction of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board. The crash, however, took place in a civil area under the board.
