By IANS,
Hyderabad : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Saturday began its probe into the Sep 2 helicopter crash that killed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and four others.
A CBI team led by Deputy Inspector General V.V. Lakshmi Narayana visited the crash site in Nallamalla forests in Kurnool district and said it would submit its report to the government in two months.
The CBI official told reporters in Kurnool town that the preliminary report would be submitted as early as possible.
The multi-disciplinary team which also includes officials from the Indian Air Force (IAF), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and forensic experts, examined the pieces of the Bell 430 helicopter and gathered vital clues.
The CBI will probe the incident from all angles and will also look into airworthiness and maintenance of the helicopter.
The official said the team would try to find out if the chopper crashed due to bad weather, technical snag or because of the pilots’ error. He said it did not appear to be sabotage.
The CBI will also gather information from other agencies probing the incident.
The investigation teams of DGCA and the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the state police have already visited the crash site and gathered evidence.
A two-member expert committee constituted by the state government is yet to launch its investigations.
YSR, as the late chief minister was popularly known, his special secretary, chief security officer and two pilots were killed when the helicopter crashed on a hillock in the forests. The chief minister was on his way to Chittoor from Hyderabad to launch a mass contact programme.
The bodies of the five victims along with the chopper’s wreckage were found the next day after one of the biggest searches in India’s aviation history.