Tension gripped the Andaman skies early Tuesday when a Pawan Hans helicopter ditched into the ocean shortly after departing Sri Vijaya Puram in Port Blair. Relief swept through as rescuers pulled all seven aboard to safety, dodging what could have been a major aviation mishap.
Carrying two crew and five passengers, the chopper hit technical trouble around 9:30 AM en route to Mayabandar. It touched down safely in shallow waters about 300 meters from the intended runway, allowing swift evacuation. Officials praised the coordinated rescue effort that ensured no casualties.
Spokespersons described it as a precautionary ‘short landing,’ crediting advanced training for the flawless execution. This incident starkly contrasts with the horrific crash of a Redbird air ambulance the previous evening in Jharkhand, claiming seven souls.
The Ranchi-Delhi flight crashed in Chatra’s dense woods after radar contact severed mid-journey. Among the deceased: pilots Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat and Savrajdeep Singh, medical staff Dr. Vikas Kumar Gupta, and passengers Sachin Mishra, Sanjay Kumar, Archana Devi, and Dhruv Kumar. Flight records show departure at 7:11 PM, last contact at 7:34 PM with Kolkata, then silence 100 nautical miles from Varanasi.
With probes underway, regulators are scrutinizing fleet standards. The Andaman success story bolsters faith in pilot prowess, yet the back-to-back events ignite debates on bolstering remote area air travel safety amid India’s expanding aviation footprint.