US team to assist in plane crash probe

The team, which will assist Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in investigation into yesterday's plane crash, is scheduled to reach Mangalore on Tuesday morning, a US official said.

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is sending its investigators to India at the request of the Indian government, an official statement said.

"NTSB Chairman, Deborah A P Hersman, has designated Senior Air Safety Investigator Joe Sedor as the US Accredited Representative," the NTSB statement said.

"The US team will also include an NTSB flight operations specialist, an NTSB aircraft systems specialist and technical advisers from the Federal Aviaption Administration and Boeing," it said.

"The team is expected to arrive in Mangalore on Tuesday morning (local time)," the NTSB said.

The investigation is being conducted by India's DGCA, which will release all information on the progress of the probe, it said.

An Air India Express flight, which originated from Dubai, overshot the airport runway in Magalore and burst into flames yesterday, killing 158 persons but eight others survived