SLAF aircraft crash- Aviation Minister’s statement not valid: Former Deputy Defence Minister

27 March 2025 10:42 am Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 11 Bookmark

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Colombo, March 27 (Daily Mirror) - While highlighting that the statements made by Minister of Civil Aviation Bimal Ratnayake on the recent crash of a Sri Lanka Airforce (SLAF) aircraft in Wariyapola is not valid, former Deputy Minister of Defence Pramitha Bandara Tennekoon said the Minister should tender an apology to the SLAF.

The following is the statement issued by former Deputy Minister:

Civil Aviation Minister Bimal Ratnayake has said the cause of the recent crash of the SLAF aircraft is due to an error by the pilots. This is totally false.

A court of inquiry has to be appointed to look into an aircraft crash during such an eventuality. Statements have to be recorded from the pilots in the event they escape a crash. The inquiry report is then handed over to the Airforce Commander. It is then handed over to the Ministry of Defence. It is the Ministry of Defence which has to issue a statement officially. On that score the statement made by the Aviation Minister is irrelevant.

The Minister of Aviation therefore should tender an apology to the SLAF for making a false statement.

Comments - 11

Insider Thursday, 27 March 2025 11:14 AM

Ah but if the information was given by the SLAF, what is the issue. He was quoting SLAF sources.

10 15

nizam Thursday, 27 March 2025 01:53 PM

All we have heard are blind narrations what they hope will be a solution to cover up. So Far nothing, nothing whatsoever has been analyzed or discussed at root level, instead a hee - haw is all we hear.

9 4

Insider Thursday, 27 March 2025 11:21 AM

But that statement said the Minister stated that Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe, commander of the SLAF, had established a special investigation committee to examine the incident and their report showed that the aircraft and its engines were in good condition prior to the crash and that the recent crash of a Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) training aircraft was attributed to a pilot error

3 12

DHA Thursday, 27 March 2025 11:31 AM

Agree a stupid minister blaming the pilots even when the investigation is still on very inexperienced statement he really should apologise to SLAF

8 18

DS Thursday, 27 March 2025 11:54 AM

The news arrival is absolutely right to highlight the complexity of air crash investigations. The process is thorough, meticulous, and based on factual evidence gathered over time—never on assumptions or incomplete information. Premature statements, especially from high-ranking officials, can mislead the public and add pressure to investigators. The Swiss Cheese Model, widely adopted by aviation authorities like the FAA and others globally, illustrates that accidents usually result from a series of failures—across systems, protocols, environment, and human actions—lining up in a way that breaches all safeguards. Human Factors (HF) are a critical part of this model, as they examine decisions, training, workload, fatigue, communication, and other behavioral or cognitive elements that may have played a role. It’s rarely a single error or fault—it’s usually a cascade.

1 11

tilak Thursday, 27 March 2025 12:10 PM

how did you come to the conclusion that the statement is false

8 7

RanjithT Thursday, 27 March 2025 01:55 PM

"Light is faster than sound. That is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak." Alan Dundees. That's what happened to Comrade Bimal.

7 4

Ram P Thursday, 27 March 2025 02:11 PM

The Minister only would have disclosed the inference in the report

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roobarbie Thursday, 27 March 2025 03:33 PM

Typical Sri Lankan behavioural trait called trying to be the "BHOOVA"! Nobody here knows how the minister got his information. If Bimal made an announcement in the Parliament, then he is responsible for what was said. The appropriate person to dispute the information, if it was wrong, is the current Minister for Defence, not a former Deputy Defence Minister that has been rejected by the voters.

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The statement is valid because the Minister is in power Thursday, 27 March 2025 05:33 PM

Is he trying to prove something? Or is he trying to show that he is more learned than the current lot?

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R Navaratnam Thursday, 27 March 2025 06:47 PM

I am at a loss to understand why this matter was brought to parliament by the government in the first instance. Instead, I would encourage government to prepare legislations and discuss in parliament for the betterment of its citizens

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