President's chopper near-crash at Mumbai to be probed again
Friday, 20 February 2009, 15:07 IST
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New Delhi: With no breakthrough in the investigation into the near-collision between President Pratibha Patil's entourage of choppers and an Air India aircraft at Mumbai airport Feb 9, the aviation regulator Thursday said it has constituted yet another probe. The president was inside one of three choppers that were part of her entourage, and it was in a matter of seconds that the mishap was averted at 9:17 a.m. The aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), ordered the first probe Feb 11, and set up an eight-member team led by its joint director general for investigation, A.K. Chopra. The DGCA claimed the investigation would be completed by Feb 14. The new investigation team has DGCA chairman S.N.A. Zaidi, Airports Authority of India executive director Vinod Kumar Yadava, and Indian Air Force's helicopter division director Alok Kumar. Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major has stoutly defended his chopper pilots and given them a clean chit. He also stated they were among the best in the air force.
Source: IANS
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