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Saturday, Nov 15, 2008
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Search parties locate wreckage of chopper

D. Chandra Bhaskar Rao

KHAMMAM: The wreckage of the Ran Air Bell 430 helicopter was found along with the remains of its pilot and three other members of the crew by the civilian parties that ventured into Pamunur hills -- a Maoist heartland – on Friday.

The evidence from the site suggests a crash, which owed mainly to engine failure resulting in altitude loss, said police sources. The engine got burnt after it struck a tree while flying at a very low level. The chopper nosedived immediately and there was no survivor left.

All the four bodies of the crew were lying scattered little away from heaps of the mangled metal.

Civilian parties led by heads of Rachapallai and Bolaram -- two tribal villages from Venkatapuram mandal -- lifted the skeletal remains of the crew.

Relatives of the victims were expected to collect them from the nearest police station, Venkatapuram, (some 25 km from the accident spot).

Police are waiting for video clippings from the site in the hope of finding some vital clues as part of the preliminary investigation.

The Director General of Civil Aviation will hold an inquiry into the chopper crash; he is expected to reach Khammam on Saturday.

Experts of the forensic laboratory, Warangal, will also be involved in the investigation. The civil police would have a limited role, said senior officials.

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