Crashed plane bent rules to fly Soundarya

It’s learnt that the Cessna 180 (VTEQU), operated by Bangalore-based Agni Aero Sports and Adventure Club, was registered as a private aircraft and not as a non-scheduled carrier like most other operators involved in elections. Rules set by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are clear that private aircraft cannot be used for ‘‘hire and reward’’ purposes.

Arvind Sharma, the head of Agni Aero Sports, while confirming that the plane was registered as a private aircraft, told The Indian Express that there was no remuneration involved in this flight to Nadirugul airport near Hyderabad.

‘‘We got a non-scheduled operations permit in 1999, but this plane was not endorsed in it,’’ he said and went on to explain, ‘‘My pilot (Joy Phillips, who also died in the crash) received a call from a friend who runs a flying academy in Hyderabad to drop some persons in Nadirugul. Since they also help us, I told my pilot to go ahead. There was no money involved in the operation.’’ Sharma says he had no idea about the identity of the passengers. ‘‘Only when I went to the crash site did someone talk about her fans waiting in large numbers. It is then that I realised that she was an actress.’’

But as it turned out, Soundarya was going to Karimnagar to campaign for the BJP. Sharma denies having any knowledge of this. ‘‘As a rule, we don’t lend our aircraft to anybody. But then this was a favour for a friend.’’ While Sharma may make it appear as cash-less deal between two friends, the passengers were probably not aware of the complications of travelling in a private aircraft. When asked if the passengers were informed, Sharma said, ‘‘Presumably not. But I am told her brother was in touch with the pilot.’’

The maintenance and operational checks for a private aircraft, DGCA sources said, were not as stringent as for non-scheduled carriers as the latter involves commercial movement of passengers. For instance, a private aircraft does not need a flight engineer on board while the same is compulsory for the other two categories.

The Civil Aviation Ministry too has taken serious note of this aspect. ‘‘We will be looking very carefully at whether this plane was endorsed for a non-scheduled operation like this and if not, we will take necessary action. We will also examine whether any guidelines of the Election Commission have been violated,’’ said Civil Aviation Secretary K. Roy Paul.

The plane was reportedly of 1955 vintage and had been bought by Agni Aviation only last year from a Pondicherry-based firm. It had done 7,840 hours and its last flight was on April 8 for 50 minutes. The flight to Nadirugul airport was 90 minutes. The pilot had done about 350 hours of flying, which is just 100 hours more than the minimum needed to get a commercial pilot license.