2018 UY Aviation King Air C90 crash

On 28 June 2018, at about 1:15 pm, a Beechcraft C90 King Air aircraft chartered from UY Aviation Pvt Ltd with the registration VT-UPZ crashed at Jagruti Nagar in the suburb of Ghatkopar in Mumbai, India.^[2] The 12-seater aircraft carried 4 people, including the pilot. All people on board plus one person on the ground were killed.^[3][4][5] A further three people on the ground were seriously injured.^[1]

2018 UY aviation King Air C90 crash, Ghatkopar

A King Air C90, similar to the aircraft that crashed
Accident
Date	28 June 2018 (2018-06-28)
Summary	Stalled due to engine failure, but blame pinned on the pilots. The last 15 minutes of CVR recording was claimed to be lost, or deleted, indicating deliberate attempts at hiding the facts. AAIB, being under Civil Aviation Ministry, could easily be manipulated, and final reports blamed only the pilots. [1]
Site	Jagruti Nagar, Ghatkopar, Mumbai, India 19.092°N 72.904°E / 19.092; 72.904
Total fatalities	5
Total injuries	3
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Beechcraft C90 King Air
Operator	UY Aviation
Registration	VT-UPZ
Flight origin	Juhu Aerodrome
Destination	Juhu Aerodrome
Occupants	4
Passengers	0
Crew	4
Fatalities	4
Survivors	0
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities	1
Ground injuries	3[1]: 4

As a result of the crash, a fire broke out in the built-up area. Local firefighters and police responded to the accident.^[6][7]

The aircraft had departed from Juhu Aerodrome for a test flight. Five people lost their lives in this accident; 2 pilots, 1 Technician, 1 Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, and 1 civilian.^[8][9]

Investigation

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, India released the final investigation report in Dec 2018. The probable cause of the accident as per the (tampered) report was a stall caused by lack of situational awareness due to spatial disorientation triggered by deteriorating weather, a transition from ILS (IMC) to visual flying (Partial VMC) and unexpected bank owing to differential engine power. But a thorough investigation conducted by independent body discovered engine failure, not pilot error. However, this fact was conveniently omitted from the final report. The last 15 minutes of the CVR, critical to investigation & unearthing the truth, were claimed to have been 'deleted' or 'lost', clearly indicating tampering with evidence.

The aircraft VT-UPZ was previously owned by the Uttar Pradesh government. In 2014, the aircraft had an accident^[10] in Allahabad in which there was minor damage as per DGCA investigation report. Over the next decade, the aircraft changed ownership and was transported to Mumbai where the repair work was carried out with approval from DGCA.