Fatal end to a routine flight

By S. Shivakumar

CHENNAI, MAY. 3. Squadron Leader, Sanjay Gaur (35), a senior instructor of the IAF Tambaram Air Force base, had taken off in a Kiran Mk-1, from the nearby IAF base on a routine flight and crashlanded in a deserted interior area of the Vandalur zoo, some 20 minutes after take-off.

In the impact the aircraft was completely gutted. Sq. Ldr. Gaur, the lone pilot, sensing danger had ejected from the aircraft and landed about 100 yards away from the ill-fated spot. The local villagers who noticed the injured pilot, alerted the police who in turn informed the local military base at Tambaram. The victim was airlifted to the Military Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Air Commodore A.K. Sahota , Air Officer Commanding, Tambaram IAF station, told The Hindu that the plane had taken off at around 9- 30 a.m. Subsequently, the plane ``seemed to have developed a technical problem.'' The pilot avoided the populated areas and at considerable risk to himself, turned the plane towards the deserted lion safari area of the nearby Vandalur zoo. He stayed on as the aircraft was losing height before attempting a bale out. This was the first accident involving the reliable Kiran Mark-1 set of planes at the Tambaram base, the officer said. A court of inquiry has been ordered.

The pilot is survived by his wife and two daughters aged five and one.

Parachute did not open

Local villagers who saw the accident said that the parachute did not open and the pilot landed on his knees. As the area was not accessible by vehicles the pilot was airlifted.

The Vandalur zoo director, Mr. Krishna Kumar, said that the duty staff had noticed fumes coming from the lion safari zone. As no noise had been heard, it was initially thought that the fumes were caused by the quarrying work in the area. Meanwhile, local police alerted them about the accident and a check confirmed the mishap.

Visitors to the accident spot were greeted by acrid fumes coming out from the aircraft debris. With eight lions roaming in the forest area, onlookers could catch a glimpse of the wreckage only from a distance, seated inside a battery operated vehicle. For a closer look, it was a long trek from a nearby village to reach the far side of the forest. Using a ladder provided by some locals, one had to climb on to the boundary wall of the lion safari campus to see the debris of the aircraft.

As fire service personnel could not reach the spot from the rear side there was no way of dousing the flames. They had to return unable to mount any operation.

The lions could be seen roaming near the accident spot. ``We hope the lions return to their dens, then the Army personnel could have the debris removed'', Mr. Krishna Kumar said. Unlike circus lions they cannot be called to return to their cages. While usually they return to a cage during the evening, there have been times when some of them prefer to stay the night out, especially in this sultry weather, he said.

The lion safari remained closed for visitors to the zoo after the accident.

The plane was designed and produced by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and has been a long-standing trainer with a good flight record in the IAF.

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