All PT-6 aircraft grounded temporarily By Asiri Fernando
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) on Tuesday appointed a five-member Board of Inquiry to investigate the crash of a training aircraft which resulted in the death of a cadet pilot, Air Force Commander Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana said on Tuesday. The board made up of aeronautical, technical and medical experts is expected to submit an interim report within a week. The SLAF has temporarily grounded all PT-6 aircraft in the fleet until the interim report is prepared, Air Marshal Pathirana added. According to the SLAF, the PT-6 trainer aircraft from the No. 1 Flying Training Wing at China Bay crashed near the Janaranjana Tank in Sooriyapura, Kantale. It was flown by Officer Cadet Shalitha Amarakoon who was on a solo mission, departing China Bay Air Force Base at 1:05 p.m. and had lost radio contact with the control tower 10 minutes later. A Bell-212 helicopter with a search and rescue team had been scrambled to locate the missing aircraft, the Air Force said.