Investigators from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) have arrived at the scene near Rourkela to begin unpicking exactly what caused an IndiaOne Air flight to come down on Saturday. A three-member specialist team started their work on Sunday morning, supported by the Odisha state government.
Usha Padhee, the Principal Secretary for Commerce and Transport, confirmed that the team’s first task was to conduct an aerial survey. Using a state-provided helicopter, they took high-resolution photographs of the crash site from above to map out the flight path and wreckage distribution before moving in for a closer inspection on the ground.
The aircraft involved — a Cessna Grand C208B — had six people on board, including two pilots and four passengers. According to the DGCA, the flight had left Bhubaneswar in the afternoon but ran into serious trouble shortly after. The crew issued a desperate 'Mayday' call to the Rourkela Air Traffic Control before being forced to bring the plane down in an open field near Kansor at around 1:20 pm.
In a bit of welcome news, the state’s Directorate of Aviation has confirmed that everyone on board survived the ordeal. While all six individuals sustained injuries, their conditions are described as "safe and stable." Two specialist doctors were flown in from Bhubaneswar on Sunday morning to assist local medics, and while one passenger is being kept under "close and continuous observation," the overall prognosis for the group is positive.
The investigation is now being handled strictly according to DGCA protocols. While the AAIB sifts through the mechanical remains and flight data, full cooperation has been promised by the state government to make sure the probe is as wide-ranging as possible. For the time being, the priority stays with the recovery of survivors and whether the helicopter made the emergency landing due to mechanical failure or external factors.
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