Article Posted on : - Mar 04, 2010

Indian Navy's aerobatics team, Sagar Pawan, presenting an air show during India Aviation 2010 at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad on Wednesday. One of the aircrafts crashed into a residential building during the show. PTI photo

NEW DELHI (PTI): In the wake of a naval aerobatic team aircraft crash in Hyderabad on Wednesday, the Indian Navy has grounded its entire fleet of Kiran aircraft.

The Navy has a fleet a 20 Kiran aircraft -- 12 Mk-I and eight Mk II aircraft -- which are based in Goa.

"As per the standard operating procedure, the aircraft will not fly till the time they are cleared by the Board of Inquiry (BOI) looking into today's mishap," Navy officials said on Wednesday.

They added that if the probe team found no problems with the aircraft, the fleet would be airborne soon.

A Kiran Mk II aircraft of Navy's Goa-based Sagar Pawan Aerobatic Team (SPAT) on Wednesday crashed in Hyderabad while performing at the India Aviation air show there.

Navy officials added that one civilian and two pilots -- Commander S K Maurya and Lt Commander Rahul Nair -- were killed in the accident.