THE crash of a Kiran Mark II trainer aircraft, which was part of the Indian Navy aerobatic Sagar Pawan team performing over the Begumpet airport in Secunderabad, has highlighted two sets of risk.
First, the hazard associated with aerobatics as such, and second, the danger posed to inhabitants who live in the area where the exercise takes place. Begumpet airport is particularly vulnerable to the second sort of risk because it is almost completely surrounded by human habitation. Any crash near the perimeter of the airfield cannot but be a danger to those living in that area.
As for aerobatics, risk is built into the daring maneuvers that pilots perform. Even so, it is particularly poignant that the pilots involved in the crash in Secunderabad have lost their lives. Sadly, this is the third mishap involving aerobatic displays of the Indian armed forces in recent months. Last Saturday, a Dhruv helicopter belonging to the Indian Air Force's Sarang team crashlanded in Jaisalmer. On January 21, a pilot of the IAF's Suryakiran aerobatic team, which also flies the Kiran aircraft, was killed when his aircraft met with an accident.
The armed forces have in recent years developed the aerobatic teams as a means of showing their flying skills to the public at large. However, there is need for the authorities to conduct safety audits before such exercises are undertaken. It goes without saying, of course, that the Navy and the IAF check the mechanical reliability of the Kiran as well.
