Overview
- The Beechcraft King Air B200 (tail VT-UPR) carrying deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak was halted on the ground at Moradabad airport after smoke was seen during engine start and passengers were safely deboarded to the VIP lounge.
- The pilot aborted departure as a precaution and Pathak and his team were sent back to Lucknow by road after officials declared the aircraft unfit to fly.
- A technical team from Lucknow has been dispatched to inspect the Pratt & Whitney PT6A-powered aircraft and perform a detailed on-site assessment of the engine area.
- Officials have cited excessive heat near the engine and a suspected fault in the fuel control unit, which meters fuel to the engines, with sources noting the same aircraft had reported FCU-related trouble about two months earlier.
- Regulators are expected to order a formal DGCA inquiry to determine the root cause and whether maintenance or oversight failures contributed, a development that could affect safety checks and VIP transport procedures.