Mumbai Airport Crash: DGCA Constitutes Aircraft Investigation Board To Probe Learjet Mishap

Aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has constituted an Aircraft Investigation Board (AIB) to probe the private jet crash which took place at Mumbai airport on Thursday evening.

The board will meet at 11 pm tonight and start their investigation into the crash.

According to preliminary information, the mishap is attributed to heavy rains and low visibility at the time of the incident. Visibility was down to 700 meters, according to airport officials.

A Learjet 45 aircraft VT-DBL belonging to VSR Ventures crashed landed on runway 27 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport with eight people on board.

The Mumbai Fire Brigade, police and airport rescue and relief teams had rushed to the spot following the incident.

No casualties reported so far

All the passengers suffered injuries and have been admitted to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Two of the four injured have been admitted at the Criticare Hospital in Andheri are said to be in critical condition but there are no casualties so far.

"There are no casualties. CSMIA's (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport) airside team is on-ground to assist with the clearance on-site," it added.

Following the incident at around 5.04 pm, both runways at the airport were shut for a brief period, and one of the runways resumed operations at around 6.47 pm, the officials said.

CCTV footage shows private jet crash landed

The DGCA and CSMIA officials are claiming that the private jet, which was on its way from Vishakhapatnam, veered off the runway but a CCTV footage of the accident clearly shows that the jet nosedived and crash landed on the runway before coming to a halt.

The aircraft is said to be around 14 years old and operated by VSR Ventures Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi.