Airplane on test flight crashes in Mumbai; 5 killed

ive persons were killed when an aircraft on a test flight crashed in a crowded Mumbai suburb this afternoon, police said.

Those killed include two pilots and as many flight engineers on board, besides a pedestrian in the Ghatkopar area where it crashed, police said.

The King Air C90 12-seater aircraft, which took off from the Juhu airstrip, crashed in the Jagruti Nagar area of Ghatkopar, police said. A team of officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) rushed to the crash site for an investigation, an official said.

The police, fire brigade and disaster management teams rushed to the spot. Bodies of those killed were taken to the nearby Rajawadi hospital in Ghatkopar, an official said. A fire brigade official said, “Our control room got a call at 1.15 pm informing a plane crash. Our jawans were immediately rushed at the site to launch the rescue operation.

Four fire engines and as many water tankers were rushed to douse the fire that occurred after the plane crashed.”

The police cordoned off the area, an official said.