The Bell 430 helicopter that went missing on Wednesday with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy on board had a valid airworthiness certificate, the state government maintained.

Chief Secretary P Ramakant Reddy told reporters that the aircraft had been issued a certificate of airworthiness by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on December 6, 2008, and it was valid up to December 5, 2010.