Click to play videoNew Delhi: Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Rajashekhara Reddy's helicopter was not fit to fly according to an investigation report in to the fatal crash.
The Bell 430 helicopter crashed in Andhra's Nalamalla forests on September 2, 2009, killing YSR, his special secretary P Subramaniam, Chief Security Officer ASC Weseley, and the two pilots Group Capt SK Bhatia and Captain MS Reddy.
The Bell 430 helicopter of the state government crashed in jungles of Nalamalla hills on September 2, 2009 and their bodies could only be located after nearly 24 hours of frantic search.
The report probing the crash confirms a CNN-IBN our report that the helicopter was not airworthy.
The inquiry report severely indicts the government owned Andhra Pradesh Aviation Corporation Limited (APACL) for not being technically qualified to carry out helicopter operations.
It says no engine checks were carried out by the maintenance staff before the ill-fated flight.
The report slams the various MDs of APACL for lacking knowledge of aviation related issues.
"This resulted into certain issues not being undertaken and certain actions not being initiated due to lack of their professional knowledg," the report says.
The committee has recommended a separate technical audit of APACL.
"There should have been better co-ordination between DGCA and our state aviation corporation," says Andhra Information Minister Geeta Reddy.
The Home Minister has asked for a report from the APACL.
The helicopter did not have a proper electronic location transmitter, which could have pinpointed the location of the crash site.
The inquiry points to the previous record of both pilots, accusing them of one-upmanship. It indicts both pilots for being involved in helicopter procurements without adequate knowledge of the subject.
So could YSR have been saved? The 138-page report reveals that the pilots ignored the deteriorating weather, wasting six crucial minutes in fixing a gear box snag.
Investigators have told CNN-IBN the chopper could easily have flown for another 30 minutes without the snag being fixed.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.