Two pilots killed during Indian Aviation 2010 show opening
03 Mar 2010
Begumpet, Hyderabad: Two Indian Navy pilots were killed during the opening ceremony of the Indian Aviation 2010 when their aircraft crashed into a three-storied building in the Bowenpally locality near the Begumpet airport. The show kicked off at the Old Begumpet airport in Hyderabad today.
There were no confirmed reports of casualties on the ground, but electronic media has reported seven people as being seriously injured.
The old two-seater HJT-16 Kiran Mk-II trainer, built by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, was part of Navy's Goa-based Sagar Pawan Aerobatic Team (SPAT).
"In the final phase, the aircraft appears to have gone out of control. They crashed into a building and the pilots have died," navy chief, Admiral Nirmal Verma told reporters.
The deceased were confirmed as Commander SK Maurya and Lt Commander Rahul Nair.
Terming the crash as unfortunate, civil aviation minister Praful Patel said the tragedy would not affect the event in any way.
