Pilot Of Mumbai's Crashed Plane Averted Bigger Disaster

The female pilot of a chartered plane which which crashed in Mumbai on June 28 risked her own life to save others. She diverted the plane to an open area or else the casualties would have been much more.

The deceased Captain Maria Zuberi was lauded by former aviation minister Praful Patel who tweeted, "Salute to the pilot who showed presence of mind to avoid a big mishap, saving many lives at the cost of her own life. #RIP to all the 5 Dead. My deepest condolences."

What happened?

A 26-year-old charter aircraft was on its way to landing at Juhu airport during a test flight, reported TOI. It crashed into an open space near a construction site in the crowded Mumbai suburb of Ghatkopar.

The King Air C90 aircraft was on its first flight after a gap of around nine years. A mechanical failure is being suspected as the reason behind the crash.

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An official disclosed that the plane once belonged to the UP Government, but was later sold to UY Aviation.

The twin-engine turbo prop was taken out for a 50-minute test flight from Juhu airport at 12.20 pm. According to the TOI report, sources from Mumbai and UP said that the 12-seater aircraft had flown after suffering severe damage in a crash in Allahabad in 2009.

The damage

The crash killed both the pilots, Caption Pradeep Rajput and Capt Maria Zuberi, aircraft maintenance engineer Surabhi Gupta and junior technician Manish Pandey. Govind Dubey, a construction labourer, was also killed as the jet fuel tank exploded and fire broke out.

About 35 workers were on a lunch break in the basement at the time.

It is being said that if the aircraft had crashed into one of the high-rise buildings, the scenario would have been worse.