Mumbai: Technician Sanjeev Shankar (24), who was among the four occupants of the Robinson-R44-Astro helicopter that crashed Sunday morning in Goregaon, told The Asian Age that he was asked to board the aircraft to balance the load, as there were only two passengers instead of the stipulated three.
Mr Shankar, who was discharged from an Andheri Hospital on Wednesday after being treated for multiple fractures, said the captain, Prafulla K. Mishra — who did not survive the crash — had decided against landing on the ground at Filter Pada in Aarey Milk Colony, as he could see children playing there.
Sanjeev Shankar was among the four occupants of the helicopter
Mr Shankar said the aircraft, which was embarking upon its second joyride that day, had first crashed into trees before hitting the ground.
“This saved us from the impact of a direct landing,” he said. Recollecting the memories that still give him sleepless nights, Mr Shankar said, “On Sunday morning, the copter took off between 11.30 am and 11.45 am. We started from Juhu to Powai Lake,Vihar Lake and Goregaon Film City from where we were supposed to return to Juhu Airport.” He added, “I was sitting next to Mishra in the co-pilot’s seat. Somehow, a problem occurred in the clutch box. Mishra noticed this and informed the ATC. We were supposed to land at Filter Pada ground but since children were playing there, Mishra opted for a different landing spot, which was 500-600 above ground level.”
According to Mr Shankar, the accident occurred two minutes before the copter was to land at Juhu Aerodrome. “The blade hit a palm tree. After a sudden fall there was a spark and a fire broke out. After the aircraft crashed, I fell unconscious. I can remember Mishra lying in a pool of blood. There was fire, but since we were wearing a seat belt we couldn’t move,” he said.
Mr Shankar, who said he would continue to work with Aman Aviation — the firm that owns the helicopter, mentioned that he has 300-plus hours of flying experience, and he was assisting a similar helicopter in Bhopal with OSS Aviation.
A native of Nalanda in Bihar, Mr Shankar joined Aman Aviation on December 3, and his job profile includes carrying out maintenance work and engine checks and assisting in parking helicopters and in other technical matters.
Of the two passengers, Borivali-based couple Ritesh and Vrinda Modi, the former succumbed to multiple injuries on Tuesday while the latter was on Wednesday shifted to an Airoli-based hospital specialising in treating burn injuries. The couple had booked the helicopter to celebrate their wedding anniversary.
