The aircraft that crash-landed while carrying senior UP Cabinet minister Shivpal Yadav and other senior officials on board in 2012 is now being put up for sale by the UP government.
Sources in the civil aviation department said that bids are being invited from private consultants to evaluate the state-owned aircraft which will be sold off along with three other aircrafts and one Chetak copter.
The department is seeking “valuers” who are registered as surveyors with Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) for providing market realisable value for four aircrafts and a copter along with their spare parts. The “valuers” have been asked to approach the state government by April 2 and complete the evaluation process in a month’s time.
The aircraft was purchased during the tenure of former chief minister Mayawati in 2008 at an estimate cost of over `40 crores.
The six-seat aircraft, Premier-1A (VT-UPN), has not being used since it skidded off the runway at IGI airport in Delhi in September 2012. UP minister Shivpal Singh Yadav and Rajendra Choudhury were on board the aircraft when the incident took place.
The plane’s nose-wheel broke as it skidded off Runway 27 in high speed after landing.
Preliminary findings had revealed that the pilots had not called for an emergency landing and a problem with the nose wheel was detected only during landing.
The civil aviation department had then ordered a probe into the incident and sources said that the aircraft had a history of skidding.
The other aircraft which are up for sale also include Super King Air 300LW (VT-UPA), King Air C90A (VT-UPZ), Beech Bonanza A-36 (VT-UPY) and Chetak helicopter.
Apart from the Premier-1A, Super King is also in the working state, while others have been not flying for quite sometime. A senior official in the department said that the “valuer” shall collect and analyse the relevant information to find out the market realisable value for these aircrafts.