PT-6 trainer aircraft manufactured after 2000: SLAF

By Sunil Jayasiri   

Sri Lanka Air Force yesterday said that all the PT-6 trainer aircraft of the Sri Lanka Air Force are manufactured after the year 2000 and the latest crashed trainer aircraft had been purchased in 2018.   

Accordingly, the PT-6 train aircraft, which crashed on Monday killing two officers, was one of six aircraft acquired by the SLAF from AVIC Hongdu in Nanchang, China in 2018.   
Parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekara yesterday said in Parliament that the PT-6 aircraft which are used for training purposes were manufactured in 1958 and the engines were manufactured in 1961.   

He also questioned why these aircraft are still used for training purposes by the SLAF.   

When inquired, Air Force Spokesman Captain Dushan Wijesinghe said that all the PT-6 aircraft of the SLAF were manufactured after the year 2000. 

 
He also revealed that the PT-6 aircraft typically has an average lifespan of 4,000 flying hours. However, the aircraft involved in Monday’s crash had only completed 850 flying hours.   
The PT-6 trainer aircraft of SLAF crashed inside the SLAF Academy in China Bay a few minutes after take-off on Monday morning during a test flight.