Five people died on Thursday afternoon after a charter aircraft to belonging UY Aviation crashed at Ghatkopar. All occupants on board, including two pilots, one engineer and a technician, along with a pedestrian, died after the aircraft caught fire, post crash-landing in the open area of an under-construction building. Three bystanders were injured. There were no passengers onboard the aircraft as it was on a test run.

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Delhi-based pilot Captain Pradeep Rajput averted major disaster by landing the plane on an under-construction building, narrowly missing inhabited buildings in the dense urban area.

Besides Rajput, three people killed in the crash have been identified as pilot Marya Zuberi, Surabhi Gupta (engineer) and Manish Pandey (technician). The pedestrian has not been identified.

Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu has ordered a probe into the accident by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). "Saddened to hear the news about the aircraft crash in Mumbai... I'm in constant touch with on ground developments," he tweeted.

Family members of both pilots say they were not ready for the test flight because of bad weather conditions, but were forced to fly the owners of the firm. UY Aviation, a private charter company, had purchased the 12-seater from Uttar Pradesh government in 2014.

"Aircraft VITPUZ of UY Aviation Ltd departed from Juhu Airport on Thursday at 12.20 pm and lost contact from Air Traffic Control (ATC) at 1.08 pm," said an official from Juhu Airport, adding, "We do not know why did the aircraft lost control from ATC, and what happened after that. The black box recovered from inside the flight will give us clarity, as will DGCA's probe."

"It is a very unfortunate incident," said UY Aviation's representative Anil Chauhan, adding that the aircraft was completely fine during take-off from Juhu Airport. "We do not know the exact reason for the accident yet."

A DGCA team visited the spot for preliminary investigation and a detailed investigation will be carried out by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also visited the site to take stock of the situation.

After the crash, three fire engines and a jumbo water tanker rushed to the spot to put out the resultant fire, which was extinguished at around 1.40 pm.

"The process of registering a case of accidental death is underway," said ACP (East Region) Lakhmi Gautam, "We will be probing if there is an angle of foul play. DGCA is also involved and their inquiry will help us determine many things as they are experts in the field."