Carrying out investigations in the Su-30 MKI crash on April 30 near Jodhpur, the IAF on Wednesday said that the probe has now been "narrowed down" to just two systems of the aircraft.
"Basically, the (probe into the cause of the) accident appears to have narrowed down to two systems. The first is the Flight Control System and the other, which probably caused the death of the pilot, is the ejection system as far as the rear cockpit is concerned," IAF Chief designate Air Marshal P V Naik said in the capital on Wednesday.
"Court of Inquiry (CoI) is in progress and it will take some time before we reach any conclusion," he added. Naik said that "limited data" was available with the IAF right now for investigating the causes of the accident and only after analysing the crash data recorder, it would be able to know the actual reasons.
"Crash data recorder, which records the details of the crash and its chip have to be analysed. We have sent it to the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Unless that analysis comes, we won't be able to say this or that (cause of mishap)," Naik said.
On the possibility of problems in the figher aircraft's rear cockpit's ejection seat, he said, "as far as the ejection seat is concerned, we have to analyse that data, see the trajectory of the seat and the aircraft and only then we can come to certain conclusions."
Wg Cdr P K Narah, sitting in the rear cockpit of the twin-seater aircraft, was killed after he ejected from the aircraft when it developed a snag while returning from Jodhpur to its Pune base. Narah was part of IAF team that inspects the aircraft's performance during the flight.
The entire fleet was grounded after the crash for over 25 days.
Meanwhile, commenting on the long term acquisition plans of the IAF, the IAF chief designate said, "We have drawn up a very comprehensive plan covering up the three plan periods including the 11th, 12th and the 13th Defence plan period up to 2022."
