By Saman Indrajith reporting from Thudugala

A Chinese built SLAF transport plane crashed at Thudugala, Dodangoda in the Kalutara district yesterday afternoon killing its four-member crew, security forces spokesman Brigadier Sanath Karunaratne said. The-ill fated plane was commanded by Captain Susil Silva.

It crashed at St. Philomena estate, Thudugala. There were no civilian casualties. Parts of the wreckage had fallen about 50 metres away from a house.

Yunshuji 8, a medium lift transport aircraft which can carry up to 96 passengers was on a test flight. "The crew was in touch with the Ratmalana airbase when the pilot lost control of the aircraft," Air Commodore J.L.C.Salgado, Director of Operations said yesterday. The crew reported serious technical difficulties before the crash, he said, adding that they were asked to return to Ratmalana airbase or carry out an emergency landing. Salgado, in charge of the operations directorate will head the Court of Inquiry appointed to probe the tragedy.

He was among the team of officers which rushed to the scene of the crash. It was the first such incident since the cease-fire agreement which came into effect on February 22.

At the time of the crash, the aircraft was on fire. "Its engines appeared to have caught fire," the source said. The source expressed the belief that the crew appeared to have decided to carry out an emergency landing in an open area. It ended in disaster, he said.

It took off from Ratmalana at 12.24 p.m. and crashed at 12.35 p.m. It has been in service with the SLAF since 1988. "It was primarily used for carrying supplies to security forces deployed in the Jaffna peninsula and also to bring in supplies from overseas destinations," Air Commodore Salgado said.

It was also used to ferry troops between Palaly and Ratmalana. But following the acquisition of two medium lift Hercules C-130 aircraft from the UK in 2000, it was not deployed to carry personnel.

It was the first crash involving a transport aircraft on a test flight although over two dozen fixed wing aircraft including fighters, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles have been lost over the past seven years.