Former Deputy Minister of Defense Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon says that Civil Aviation Minister Bimal Ratnayake should apologize to the Air Force for his statement regarding the recent crash of a Sri Lanka Air Force aircraft in the Wariyapola area.
“A judicial inquiry should be conducted to investigate an aircraft crash. If the pilots survive the accident, their statements should be recorded. The investigation report should then be handed over to the Air Force Commander. Then it should be handed over to the Ministry of Defense. It is the Ministry of Defense that should issue an official statement. Accordingly, the statement made by the Minister of Aviation is not relevant. Therefore, the Minister of Aviation should apologize to the Air Force for making a false statement,” former Deputy Minister of Defense Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon further said.
Civil Aviation Minister Bimal Ratnayake said that the cause of the recent crash of an Air Force aircraft was pilot error. Issuing a statement in this regard, the Air Force Media Spokesperson said that a final conclusion has not yet been reached on the crash.
Subsequently, Deputy Defense Minister Aruna Jayasekara and Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Nalinda Jayatissa also dismissed Minister Bimal Ratnayake’s statement.