The four remaining Antonov-32 aircrafts of the Sri Lanka Air Force have been grounded pending an inquiry to the aircraft accident yesterday and also a reassessment of the condition of the remaining planes.

A Court of Inquiry on the incident was appointed by the Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force and will be headed by Air Commodore Ravi Jayasinghe.

The SLAF Antanov-32 (SMC 864) aircraft crashed into a rubber estate at around 6.20a.m yesterday. The plane was carrying a crew of five at the time of the incident, four of whom perished in the crash. The remaining crew member is under intensive care at National Hospital, Colombo.

The Captain, Squadron Leader J.M.W.N. Abeywardena, was a well-experienced pilot, with 2239 flying hours under his belt. Both he and his co-pilot were among those who died.

An-32 is a twin-engined transport aircraft manufactured in Ukraine. The crashed plane had been purchased from Russia in 1996.