Sri Lankan air force starts probe into crash that killed four

Sri Lanka's air force started a special investigation into the crash of an Antonov-32 plane Friday that killed four officers and injured one, an official said.

Air Force Commander Kolitha Gunathilaka has appointed a court of inquiry headed by Air Commodore Ravi Jayasinghe to investigate the incident, Chief of Staff Air Vice Marshal Gagan Bulathsinghala told reporters.

The Antonov-32 carrying five Air Force personnel to the Ratmalana airport on a routine flight crashed early Friday morning in foggy weather.

The captain of the aircraft squadron, co-pilot, flight sergeant and a corporal were the four killed in the crash.

The fifth officer survived the crash but sustained severe burns below the waist and is undergoing treatment at the Colombo National Hospital.

"Just before the aircraft disappeared from radar, the captain communicated to the operations room that the visibility was poor in the general area," Xinhua quoted Bulathsinghala as saying.

Several houses near the crash site were damaged.

However, no one was hurt on the ground. The air force is considering granting compensation to those who suffered damages.

The aircraft had been purchased from Ukraine in 1996. It was repaired in Russia last year.

Subsequently, the aircraft had completed 298 flight hours during the last nine years while it had made 447 landings.

The captain of the aircraft had also completed the required flight hours and was an experienced pilot, authorities have said.

Further flights of Antonov aircraft have been temporarily suspended until the investigation is completed.