Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Hyderabad Air Show Crash Kills 2 India Navy Pilots

   Steve Herman | New Delhi 03 March 2010
   An Indian navy plane emitting green colored smoke is seen performing a
   display  with  other  planes  before  it  crashed  into  a building in
   Hyderabad, India, 03 Mar 2010

Photo: AP

   An Indian navy plane emitting green colored smoke is seen performing a
   display  with  other  planes  before  it  crashed  into  a building in
   Hyderabad, India, 03 Mar 2010

   Two  elite  Indian  Navy  pilots died when their aerobatic jet crashed
   into  a residential building in Hyderabad during the inauguration of a
   high-profile civil air show.
   Spectators from more than 100 countries were watching the inauguration
   of  India's  largest aviation show when one of the military jets broke
   off  from  three  other  aircraft  in  formation, went into a spin and
   plummeted into a nearby neighborhood.
   Hyderabad  police chief Abdul Khayyum Khan says the jet smashed into a
   residential building.
   "Fortunately  not many residents were there. Four of the injured, they
   have shifted to hospital," he said.
   India's naval chief, Admiral Nirmal Verma, tells reporters both pilots
   died in the crash of the indigenous Kiran Mark-Two trainer turbojet.
   "The  possibility is that, either, time-wise there was a problem [with
   ejecting]  or  they  were  making all efforts to ensure that damage is
   minimized to any civil area there," he said.
   The pilots were part of the "Sea Breeze," performance team which began
   shows  seven  years  ago.   The  squad is one of the world's few naval
   aerobatic teams.
   Naval  officials  say  it is premature to speculate on what caused the
   crash of the aircraft.
   Media  reports  cite a possible bird strike or hydraulic failure.  The
   navy says all flights of the team are suspended until the cause of the
   accident is determined.
    Among  the  spectators at Begumpet Airport, where the Indian Aviation
   Expo  is  being held, was U.S. Ambassador Timothy Roemer.  He issued a
   statement  of  condolence saying "these heartbreaking losses have even
   more piercing impact when you are part of the event."
   Indian  Civil  Aviation  Minister  Praful  Patel,  who was also at the
   ill-fated  inauguration,  told  the media the five-day exhibition will
   continue despite what he termed an unfortunate mishap.
   The  industry  event  in  Hyderabad has attracted hundreds of aviation
   executive from Asia, Europe and North America, as well as their Indian
   counterparts and senior Indian government officials.

.