MUMBAI, June 2: The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) or "black box" of the Pawan Hans helicopter which crashed off Bombay High on May 25 was found today, though the body of co-pilot Capt. Ravi Kapoor still remains untraced. According to Pawan Hans General Manager (Western Region), Group Capt D C Kaushik, the `black box' of the helicopter was found by a search and rescue team of Oil and Natural Gas Commission and the Indian Navy operating under the guidance of an investigator detailed by the Director General of Civil Aviation.

But the other dilemma before the Pawan Hans management is whether to declare Capt. Kapoor dead or not. His personal belongings were recovered from the sea and it is likely that after one week of search operations a provisional report will be issued declaring him dead.

According to Pawan Hans sources, the search and rescue team found intestinal parts not belonging to the body of helicopter pilot, Capt A K Singh who was the only other occupant of the crashed machine. Consequently, hopes of rescuing Capt Kapoor are dim.

Meanwhile, the airman's family fondly hopes for his safe return. Last weekend a prayer meeting was organised at the Arya Samaj Mandir, SantaCruz where Kapoor's family and friends prayed for 37-year old Kapoor's good health. He is survived by his wife, parents and a young daughter. The prayer meeting was attended by senior company officials and Pawan Hans pilots.

According to a Pawan Hans press note, Kapoor's family members identified the belongings of the deceased airman.

Ever since the crash, Kapoor's immediate family made frantic enquiries as the main debris of the ill-fated helicopter remained unfound. Their anxiety further worsened after it was known that the search and rescue operation had been allegedly botched by the company

.According to the Pawan Hans Pilot Guild, all helicopters carry equipment like the underwater beacons which are connected to the black box and the body of the aircraft to facilitate search and rescue in the event of an accident. Though the beacons were installed on all helicopters, the corporation did not ensure availability of compatible equipment to receive the transmissions from the beacons, the guld alleged.

Subsequently the search continued with the help of naval authorities and private diving agencies amidst fears that the operation may be abandoned as Pawan Hans and the ONGC disagreed over who would foot the bill. Along with the CVR, the search team today found parts of the ill-fated helicopter including engine, main rotor system, etc.

The Pawan Hans helicopter Dauphin VT ELC crashed on May 25 when she was on a mission to remove a sick person from an offshore vessel Sagar Jyoti. The black box has been sent to Delhi by the DGCA officials.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.