Antony, Pallam Raju not to attend LCH maiden flight function in Bengaluru
May 22nd, 2010 - 9:42 pm ICT by ANIBengaluru May 22 (ANI): Defence Minister A K Antony and his deputy M.Pallam Raju have cancelled their Sunday visit to Bengaluru, where they were supposed to participate in the inaugural flight launch ceremony of the Advanced Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), in the wake of the Mangalore air disaster.
Sitanshu Kar , Director Indian Air Force Public Relations, told media persons here that both Antony and Pallam Raju had expressed shock over Saturday’s tragedy at Mangalore airport, in which 158 people were killed, and therefore, had decided not attend Sunday’s function.
Kar, however, said that the inaugural flight launch function of the LCH, which has been developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) would continue as per schedule with Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik being the chief guest.
Meanwhile, recovery work in Mangalore, where an Air India Express flight IX-812 from Dubai overshot the runway bursting into flames killing over 150 people on board is still going on.
Several bodies are still believed to be inside the charred remains of the aircraft as rescue teams continue the recovery work in the difficult terrains surrounding Mangalore Airport.
The flight data recorder or the “Black Box”, which records the conversation between the pilot of the aircraft and the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) has still not been recovered from the mangled remains of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which crashed at 6.30 in the morning today.
Many theories and stories are doing rounds concerning the worst air mishap on the Indian soil in over 14 years, with one of the lucky survivors of the accident saying he heard a loud thud, probably a tyre burst, just before the aircraft caught fire and descended into thick forests.Human failure and technical snag are also being considered as the reasons for the disaster.
Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, however, brushed aside allegations regarding airport safety norms being neglected.
Patel said a clearer picture about the actual cause behind the crash would only emerge after a detailed enquiry by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Speaking during a press conference after visiting the crash site, he said had the Mangalore Airport been ‘unsafe’ there was no possibility of it getting clearance from the concerned authorities to operate flights from there.(ANI)
- Antony not to attend LCH's maiden flight function in Bengaluru - May 22, 2010
- LCH marks a new era in Indian combat avionics - May 23, 2010
- Light Combat Helicopter unveiled for armed forces - May 23, 2010
- Pilot failed to signal SOS, being blamed for Mangalore air crash - May 22, 2010
- Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council meets to review air safety issues - Jun 03, 2010
- Over 169 dead in Mangalore air crash - May 22, 2010
- PM, Sonia Gandhi express shock, grief over Mangalore crash - May 22, 2010
- Search still on for Air India aircraft's black box - May 23, 2010
- Mangalore crash: Authorities still looking for 'Black Box' - May 24, 2010
- Mangalore has one of India's most turbulent airspaces - May 22, 2010
- Scary, thrilling.. the Mangalore airport experience (Lead) - May 22, 2010
- Mangalore air crash: DNA experts arrives as 26 bodies still unidentified - May 23, 2010
- India joins elite league of countries with LCH's successful inaugural test run - May 23, 2010
- 158 killed as Air India plane plunges down cliff at Mangalore (Afternoon Lead) - May 22, 2010
- Flight data recorder from crashed Air India plane recovered (Lead) - May 25, 2010
Tags: air chief marshal, air disaster, air force chief, air india express, air traffic controller, bengaluru, boeing 737 800, boeing 737 800 aircraft, combat helicopter, flight data recorder, hindustan aeronautics limited, human failure, indian air force, indian soil, loud thud, lucky survivors, mangalore airport, praful patel, technical snag, thick forests