News
Beloved son of village dies in air crash
“When he left the village to report to his airbase Wasantha putha worshipped all the elders and departed,” said a grieving relative of Squadron
Missed by all: Squadron Leader J.M.W.N. Abeywardena
Leader J.M.W.N. Abeywardena, who died in Friday’s crash of an Air Force Antonov jet at Athurugiriya.
“He was loved by all the villagers; they looked on him as a hero,” said the relative, Gamini Wickremasinghe. “He was dedicated to his work.”
Squadron Leader Abeywardena, who recently married Nayomi, a flight attendant, was captain of the Russian-made aircraft that crashed into a rubber plantation in Athurugiriya-Hokandara on Friday at 6.20 a.m., narrowly missing a housing complex. A past student of Royal College, Colombo, Captain Abeywardena’s passion for flying high led him to join the Sri Lanka Air Force as a pilot in 2002.
The site of the crash and (below) people flocking to the site. Pix by Indika Handuwala
The accident left another SLAF officer, 24-year-old L.A.C. Chathuranga, critically injured and receiving treatment for burn injuries at the Intensive Care Unit of the Colombo National Hospital.
Three officers died along with Captain Abeywardena: the co-pilot, Flight Lieutenant A.A.D.T. Amaratunge, Flight Sergeant, M.W.L. Priyantha and Corporal W.W.A.N. Wijeratne.
The aircraft was flying from Katunayake to Ratmalana when it came down, damaging two houses.
In their last communication to the air traffic controller the crew said they were 2,000 feet above ground level and were unable to see the Ratmalana runway due to poor visibility, Staff Officer Air Vice Marshal Gagan Bulathsinhala said.
The Air Force Commander has appointed a court of inquiry to investigate the incident.
Air Force Spokesman Gehan Seneviratne requested those who had removed parts of the aircraft from the crash site to return them to the authorities as they were needed for the inquiry. “We request them to return the parts and we assure them that no one will be arrested for removing items,” he said.
The Antonov-32 was purchased by the Air Force this year. The 1996-made aircraft was valued at US$ 4.5 million. Sri Lanka has four Antonov-32s, used for both military and civil aviation purposes.
According to the Meteorology Department, heavy mist prevailed at Ratmalana and the surrounding area on Friday morning.
