Bhubaneswar, Jan 12: In a serious accident involving an India One Air 9-seater aircraft traveling from Bhubaneswar to Rourkela, siblings Sushant Bishwal and Anita Sahu from Ali Thana, Manikpatna, sustained critical injuries.

Sushant’s brother, Ranjan Behera, has accused the airline authorities and the pilot of negligence, claiming that the pilot was aware of faults in the aircraft but still chose to take off instead of addressing the issues before the flight.

According to Ranjan, the flight was originally scheduled to depart at 10:10 AM. Their aunt had dropped Sushant and Anita at the airport. The plane, however, departed at 12:27 PM, after a delay of over two hours. Sushant had informed his brother before the flight that it would be delayed by about an hour.

The delay, Ranjan alleges, was due to repairs after the authorities and pilot discovered technical faults in the plane. During the accident, Anita suffered a head injury and temporarily lost her memory, which has now been restored. Sushant, currently in a coma, has reportedly stated that the airline authorities are responsible for the crash.

Ranjan questioned why the pilot took the risk of flying despite knowing about the technical faults and why standard engine inspection protocols were not properly followed.