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Navy Chief Admiral Madhavendra Singh on Wednesday said that a Board of Inquiry would probe Tuesday's crash involving two naval aircraft, which resulted in the death of 17 persons, including 12 naval personnel.
Admiral Singh visited the sites where the two naval planes had crashed after a mid-air collision over Goa.
The Navy lost 12 personnel and two Russian-made IL-38 aircraft in the accident.
"We have lost highly qualified and experienced pilots, navigators and flight engineers," said Admiral Singh. The combined operational experience of the crew in each flight was over 7000 hours and that they had participated in similar fly-pasts earlier.
The naval chief also indicated that the result of the investigation would not be available in the near future. 'Such investigations invariably take some time', he said.
Operations to search for survivors trapped under the debris were ended and the two accident sites sealed on Wednesday.
Admiral Singh asserted that both the planes were in perfect condition and had been overhauled in the last three years in Russia.
The planes have a range of 7200 km (3887 nautical miles) and can fly for 12 non-stop hours on a full tank. They could reach a maximum speed of 722 km/hour at an altitude of 21,000 feet.
India had purchased the aircraft in 1977 at around paying Rs 1.8 billion (Rs 180 crore) apiece, though the replacement, at today's prices, would cost around Rs 4 billion (Rs 400 crore).
He dismissed any possibility of shifting the naval base in Goa to Karwar in neighbouring Karnataka, where a full-fledged naval base is coming up.
PTI adds Notwithstanding the tragic mid-air collision of two naval maritime aircraft during an air show on Tuesday, the IAF proposes to go ahead with a spectacular flypast on its founding day on October 8 in which 31 fighter aircraft will take part, including the just inducted upgraded SU-30 MKI.
To mark its 71st anniversary, an IAF spokesman, the IAF has planned 12-day celebrations countrywide, which are to include cultural shows, investiture parades and the first ever concert by the IAF band.
However, the supersonic fighters would not perform any elaborate aerobatic displays as a safety measure, he said. The Russian-made SU-30s are famed the world over for their aerobatic capabilities.
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