The aircraft that crashed into a residential area in Mumbai's Ghatkopar, killing 5 people, was owned by a Juhu-based firm, UY Aviation, DNA reported on Thursday, 28 June.
UY Aviation had acquired the plane from Uttar Pradesh government in 2014, and the craft still had a "Uttar Pradesh Sarkar" logo on its tail fin.
Times Now reported that the Uttar Pradesh government responded to the query, saying that it had sold the plane to a private company in 2014.
Principal Secretary, Information Avnish Awasthi said the aircraft was with the UP government till 2014. It was later purchased by “UY Aviation of Bombay”.
At present, "the aircraft is neither owned nor operated by the UP government," he was quoted as saying by Times Now.
A DGCA spokesperson also clarified that the operator had bought the aircraft from the UP government. However, it's still not clear why the UY Aviation continued using the plane bearing the UP government’s logo.
The 12-seater private plane, VT-UPZ, King Air C-90, crashed at around 1:30 pm in the old Maniklal lane in Ghatkopar, Mumbai. Two pilots and two engineers on board, and a pedestrian were killed in the crash, the DGCA confirmed.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited the crash site on Thursday evening and expressed grief over the unfortunate incident.
"It is a worrying incident. What were the reasons behind the crash and who is responsible for it needs to be found out,” Fadnavis said.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)