Residents of Gowdanapalya had a miraculous escape as the crash site of the ill-fated Pilactus 68 aircraft was barely a few hundred metres away from human inhabitation.

Surrounding areas near the crash site are thickly populated and if the mishap had taken place a few metres either side from the tank bed, a major disaster could have occurred. Scores of houses are located near the crash site and if the aircraft had come in contact with any of them, it could have exploded.

Eye-witness account
The residents of the locality who were glued to their television sets watching the India-England cricket match were drawn out of there houses after they heard the sound of the aircraft crashing into the lake bed. “As soon as the crash took place, the flight was reduced to debris and we could see one person waving for help... when we reached the crash site, he was badly injured with his neck stuck to the airframe,” said Venkatesh Nayak, who dragged out Shanmugam’s body and later admitted him to the nearby Deve Gowda Hospital.

The four-seater Italian-made aircraft which was bought by Joy Alukkas from the US, 8 months ago, was said to be in good condition and no snag was found when it was inspected on Saturday, by the Deccan Aviation at the Jakkur air field.