BSF plane crashes near Delhi airport
A Beechcraft Superking B200 plane, chartered by the Border Security Force crashed in Dwarka, near Delhi Airport shortly after take-off. According to reports, there were ten people on the plane, including the pilots, all of who died in the crash. Delhi police and fire department personnel were dispatched to the crash site. There were no immediate reports of other casualties due to the crash.
Ten people died in the crash: two pilots, six technicians, one engineer and a crew member. Media reports identified the deceased as Pilot Rajesh Shivrain, Co-pilot Deputy Commandant D Kumar, Captain Bhagwati Prasad, Ravindra Kumar, SN Sharma, Surender Singh, CL Sharma, DP Chauhan, KR Rawat and RP Yadav. Officials said the crew were flying to Ranchi to conduct repairs on a damaged helicopter.
According to reports, the plane took off from Delhi at 9:37 A.M, however, within a few minutes it developed a technical problem and reportedly turned back to Delhi airport. According to witnesses, the plane hit the boundary wall of the airport technical area and landed in a sewage treatment plant. Officials said the plane lost contact with the ATC before it crashed.
The BSF air wing has a fleet of four fixed wing aircraft including the crashed Beechcraft Superking and 15 helicopters. The Superking was inducted in 1994-95 and was used in air-support roles.
According to the Aviation Safety Network, a private institute that provides details on air crashes across the world, the Beechcraft Superking B200 is prone to technical snags. According to the Aviation Safety database, in 2015 there have been 13 accidents involving the B200, a majority of which have happened in the US. The BSF's B200 aircraft maintained an accident free record since 1994.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma stated that an inquiry has been initiated over the crash. BSF DG Devendra Kumar Pathak said that the kin of the deceased will get Rs.20,00,000 from BSF's internal insurance fund. DG level talks between BSF and Border Guards Bangladesh, scheduled for today, have been canceled due to the crash.
