Australia grounds Mahindra's GA8 planes after Swedish crash

CIE Automotive India

22/07/2019 03:34

MELBOURNE, July 22 (Reuters) - Australia's air safety
regulator has grounded operations of a small aircraft
manufactured by Mahindra Aerospace for up to 15 days in the wake
of a crash in Sweden that killed nine people earlier this month.
    The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) said it had
suspended operations of all GippsAero GA8 planes in Australia
and all Australian-registered GA8 planes flying overseas between
July 20 and August 3.
    The GA8 single-engine aircraft, manufactured in Australia,
is typically used for skydiving, tourism, air patrols, medical
evacuations and humanitarian missions in remote locations,
according to Mahindra Aerospace's website.
    There are 228 GA8 planes worldwide, 63 of which are
registered in Australia, CASA said.
    Mahindra Aerospace, a unit of India-based Mahindra &
Mahindra  MAHN.NS , did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
    Nine Swedes were killed when a GA8, dubbed the Airvan 8,
crashed during a skydiving trip near Umea in northern Sweden on
July 14.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N24F0K4
    CASA said it has been working closely with the Swedish and
European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which has also
issued an emergency directive to European GA8 aircraft owners
and operators to suspend operations except for ferry flights.   
        

 (Reporting by Sonali Paul, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
 ((Sonali.Paul@thomsonreuters.com; +61 3 9286 1419; Reuters
Messaging: sonali.paul.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))