Our Hyderabad office happens to be opposite old Airpport, the venue for this show. One of my friend shot this video while watching the show from the top of our office.
It was a horrific sight for Hyderabad. A plane taking part in an air show freefell in seconds, nosediving from the sky straight into a three-storey building near Begumpet airport in Bowenpally, Secunderabad.
Both pilots of the Navy aircraft died. Four people have been seriously injured. The aircraft that crashed was a Kiran MK-II aircraft belonging to the 'Sagar Pawan' aerobatic team of the Navy.
The building that was hit went up in flames but did not collapse. One body was brought out from its top floor. It's not clear yet if this was one of the pilots who died. The Navy Chief said that contrary to earlier claims by eyewitnesses, neither pilot managed to eject from the plane. The pilots have been identified as Commander SK Maurya and Lieutenant Commander Rahul Nair. The air show was part of the inaugural ceremony for the India Aviation Summit. Naval Press Officer Commander Satish told that the plane that crashed was performing the final acrobatic maneuver, called "the bombers" when it started free-falling. He said pictures shown on television show the pilot had completely lost control of the aircraft. Seconds after the plane hit the building in the heart of the city, a loud explosion was heard, and a cloud of smoke surrounded the area. Two fire engines and thirty fire-fighters were rushed to the location. But the narrow streets and the crowd of onlookers made rescue operations tough. Two of the four people injured were rushed to hospital in serious condition.
