All the 10 personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) on board a small Ranchi-bound BSF plane were killed on Tuesday morning when it crashed shortly after take-off and burst into flames just outside the Delhi domestic airport near Dwarka in South West Delhi. The deceased included three officers and seven senior technicians who were all charred to death.
Sources said that the accident happened around 9.50 am when the 22-year-old Beechcraft Superking twin-engine plane crashed into the airport boundary wall near a railway track and landed on a sewage treatment plant while returning back apparently due to a technical problem five minutes after it took off for Ranchi. The aircraft lost contact with the Air Traffic Control at 9.50 am, said aviation sources. The aircraft was to make an emergency landing on runway number 10.
Police Control Room and Delhi Fire Service were informed by the locals who saw the plane hurtling down and crashing against the wall. Twenty-three fire tenders, four JCBs, 10 CAT ambulances and 11 PCR vans rushed to the spot and rescue operation was launched. A team of CISF personnel and disaster management as well as officials from Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation too rushed to the accident site.
BSF sources said the technicians were on their way to Ranchi to repair a helicopter. Along with the pilot of the plane Bhagwati Prasad Bhatt, the ones who lost their lives in the crash were Deputy Commandants D Kumar, Captain K Rawat and co-pilot Rajesh Shivrain, who was attached to the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
The BSF technicians who died in the crash are Cl Sharma, SN Sharma, Rabinder Kumar, Surender Singh, DP Chauhan, and RP Yadav. Home Minister Rajnath Singh, BSF Director General DK Pathak and Delhi lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung visited the crash site.
An eyewitness told The Pioneer that she saw the plane flying really low and barely missing the buildings before crashing into the boundary wall of the airport.
“I was on roof at that time. We could see the flight getting unbalanced. It barely missed the boundary wall of SPG complex and crashed into the boundary wall of the airport,” said the eyewitness.
The area was engulfed in dense smoke and fire with pieces of aircraft spread around. locals said that it would have been more catastrophic had the plane crashed near the oil depot or the residential areas.
Three labourers working near the crash site were injured in the accident. Identified as Parvati, Kuvasa and Raja Ram, they are said to be the true witness of the untoward accident. A senior police official said, “The three labourers were working when the aircraft rammed into the wall that left them with slight injury. They were taken to the nearby private clinic where they were provided first-aid and discharged.”
Expressing regret at the incident, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said, “It is unfortunate that all 10 people, including the pilots, died in the crash. It is a matter of probe.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the crash. “Pained by the loss of lives in the BSF plane crash in Delhi. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased,” he said.
Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey said authorities were in the process of setting up a Committee of Inquiry to probe the mishap. “We are trying to identify a pilot who has flown the type of aircraft that has crashed,” he said.
Joint Commissioner Police Devender Pathak said that the bodies of all the ten paramilitary personnel have been sent for post-mortem at the Safdarjung Hospital. The ceremonial wreathe laying ceremony will take place at BSF Hanger at Safdarjang airport at 9 AM on Wednesday in presence of Home Minister Rajnath Singh, added Joint CP.
Delhi Police has also filed an FIR against unnamed persons at the police station in IGI Airport and has recorded statements of three eyewitnesses who were working near the crash site.