‘Had all approvals for a test flight’

UY AVIATION SAID THEY HAD NOT YET ACQUIRED NSOP, AFTER WHICH THE AIRCRAFT WOULD BE REGISTERED AS THEIRS

MUMBAI: Three days after a 12-seater aircraft crashed into an under construction site in Ghatkopar, while the aircraft owner, UY Aviation Pvt Ltd, on Sunday said they had all the required approvals for a test flight, they added that they did not have the permit required to officially take possession of the aircraft.

The Beechcraft King Air C90 aircraft aircraft had crashed into an under-construction building on Thursday, killing a pedestrian and four people on-board.

In its statement, UY Aviation said they had not yet acquired Non-schedule Operator’s Permit (NSOP) – after which the aircraft would be registered as theirs. “Before undertaking the test flight, it was ensured that all necessary approvals were in place. It is pertinent to note that this aircraft was not yet operating on the Non-schedule Operator’s Permit (NSOP) of UY Aviation Pvt Ltd as it was still to be released to service.” This implies that the aircraft was not registered under their name. The statement said the aircraft was purchased by a Pune-based company from the Uttar Pradesh government and was sent directly to a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (Dgca)-approved Maintenance and Repair Organisation (MRO) called Indamer Aviation Pvt Ltd. The company said it purchased the aircraft from the Pune-based company. They then asked Indamer to rebuild the aircraft completely.

In response to UY Aviation’s statement, Rajeev Gupta, CEO of Indamer Aviation, said when the aircraft was purchased by the Pune company, they approached Indamer for a repair work schedule. “However, the Pune company decided to not repair the aircraft owing to commercial reasons. The aircraft hence lay in the hangar for long after which it was purchased by UY Aviation,” Gupta said. He added that UY Aviation had the same work scheme and after approvals from DGCA, spare parts of the aircraft were ordered for repairing the aircraft and DGCA kept checking the work status.

UY Aviation also said it is committed to extending all possible assistance to families of the victims and law enforcement agencies. The plane wreckage of the was moved to Indamer’s hangar in Juhu Aerodrome on Saturday.

An Airports Authority of India (AAI) official said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) had ordered a video of the loading and unloading of the debris. “Two AAIB officials returned after site investigation. They can come here for further details,” said an AAI official.