ghazi52
THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
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“Shooting down of Beechcraft – 1965 war ” 1545hrs PST
On 19th Sep 1965, F/O Qais M Hussain was scrambled to intercept an aircraft flying south west of Bhuj. The pilot reported back that it is a twin tailed, twin engined aircraft with four side windows. He was ordered to stand by while the controller referred to higher authorities. As both India and Pakistan utilized the civilian aircrafts for military purposes during the war, so presumably, with this in mind; the pilot was given a green light to shoot down the plane.
F/O Qais Hussain, fired a short burst and saw its left wing hit, then he readjusted himself and fired a long burst. The right engine of Beechcraft got hit and seconds later it went into a vertical dive and hit the ground. It was later learnt from All India Radio that the aircraft was flying Chief Minister of Gujrat, Balwantrai Mehta, his wife and personal staff and news reporter.
Indian Inquiry report says that the aircraft drifted well off its course. The crash site was 40NM north of its intended destination.
Courtesy: Aviation Art of Rehan Siraj
