Court of inquiry to probe Mangalore crash

NEW DELHI: A Court of Inquiry into the Mangalore air crash was set up by the government on Thursday with former Vice Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Bhushan Nilkanth Gokhale, as its head.

The CoI has been asked to complete its investigation and submit the report by August 31, an official spokesperson said here.

The Gokhale inquiry would investigate all aspects of the crash of the Air India Express Boeing 737-800 at the Bajpe Airport on May 22, in which 158 people were killed.

The plane was operating on scheduled flight IX-812 from Dubai to Mangalore when it plunged into a ravine after overshooting the runway on landing.

An official notification said, "Finding it expedient to hold an inquiry into the circumstances of the accident, the government has appointed Air Marshal (Retd) Bhushan Nilkanth Gokhale to hold the investigation."

The government also appointed four experts from different fields to assist Gokhale as assessors.