News Analysis India

Tag: helicopter crash

  • Helicopter crashed within seconds after takeoff, says security guard deployed at Kedarnath helipad

    By PTI

    GOPESHWAR: The helicopter that crashed near Kedarnath on Tuesday killing seven people on board met with the accident hardly five-six seconds after taking off from the helipad near the Himalayan temple.

    The chopper of Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd hit a hillock amid dense fog and crashed within seconds after taking off near Garurchatti which is barely two km from Kedarnath, Manohar Singh, a security man deployed at Kedarnath helipad, said.

    The helicopter broke into pieces as it crashed and went up in flames, he said.

    “Nothing was visible at once due to the thick blanket of fog enveloping the area but everyone ran in the direction from where a huge sound of crash came,” he said.

    ALSO READ | Cousin sisters among three women from Gujarat killed in Uttarakhand chopper crash

    As the fog thinned away, the helicopter was seen in flames and its pieces were scattered all over the slopes of Garurchatti, Singh said.

    Ankur Shukla, a priest who happened to be at a distance from the crash site at the time of the accident, said when he saw the flames emanating from a big portion of the helicopter, he realised that a serious mishap had taken place.

    Shukla got to know the details of the crash when he returned to Kedarpuri.

    Head of Six Sigma Healthcare firm Dr Pradeep Bhardwaj said low visibility caused by thick fog appears to have been the main cause of the accident.

    Heli services in the area have increased manifold of late but a matching security and control mechanism has not yet been developed.

    The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) does not have an office here as yet, he said.

    GOPESHWAR: The helicopter that crashed near Kedarnath on Tuesday killing seven people on board met with the accident hardly five-six seconds after taking off from the helipad near the Himalayan temple.

    The chopper of Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd hit a hillock amid dense fog and crashed within seconds after taking off near Garurchatti which is barely two km from Kedarnath, Manohar Singh, a security man deployed at Kedarnath helipad, said.

    The helicopter broke into pieces as it crashed and went up in flames, he said.

    “Nothing was visible at once due to the thick blanket of fog enveloping the area but everyone ran in the direction from where a huge sound of crash came,” he said.

    ALSO READ | Cousin sisters among three women from Gujarat killed in Uttarakhand chopper crash

    As the fog thinned away, the helicopter was seen in flames and its pieces were scattered all over the slopes of Garurchatti, Singh said.

    Ankur Shukla, a priest who happened to be at a distance from the crash site at the time of the accident, said when he saw the flames emanating from a big portion of the helicopter, he realised that a serious mishap had taken place.

    Shukla got to know the details of the crash when he returned to Kedarpuri.

    Head of Six Sigma Healthcare firm Dr Pradeep Bhardwaj said low visibility caused by thick fog appears to have been the main cause of the accident.

    Heli services in the area have increased manifold of late but a matching security and control mechanism has not yet been developed.

    The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) does not have an office here as yet, he said.

  • AAIB, DGCA teams to probe Uttarakhand helicopter crash 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Teams of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and aviation regulator DGCA will be probing the helicopter crash near Kedarnath in Uttarakhand that killed seven pilgrims on Tuesday, according to a senior official.

    The operator of the ill-fated helicopter – Aryan Aviation – had come under the regulatory scanner and was fined Rs 5 lakh recently by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for certain violations.

    The senior DGCA official said the teams of AAIB and DGCA have already left for the site.

    It is an accident as per the classification of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and AAIB will be probing the case, the official added.

    The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will also be investigating the accident.

    The chopper – Bell 407 (VT-RPN) – operated by Aryan Aviation burst into flames at around 11.45 am at Dev Darshini in Garud Chatti, Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh said.

    NEW DELHI: Teams of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and aviation regulator DGCA will be probing the helicopter crash near Kedarnath in Uttarakhand that killed seven pilgrims on Tuesday, according to a senior official.

    The operator of the ill-fated helicopter – Aryan Aviation – had come under the regulatory scanner and was fined Rs 5 lakh recently by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for certain violations.

    The senior DGCA official said the teams of AAIB and DGCA have already left for the site.

    It is an accident as per the classification of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and AAIB will be probing the case, the official added.

    The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will also be investigating the accident.

    The chopper – Bell 407 (VT-RPN) – operated by Aryan Aviation burst into flames at around 11.45 am at Dev Darshini in Garud Chatti, Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh said.

  • Seven Kedarnath temple pilgrims feared dead in Uttarakhand helicopter crash

    By PTI

    RUDRAPRAYAG:  A helicopter ferrying pilgrims back from the Kedarnath temple crashed on Tuesday amid poor visibility, killing all seven people onboard.

    The chopper burst into flames close to Garud Chatti and Jungle Chatti, Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh said.

    Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief ordered a detailed inquiry into the crash.

    Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said his ministry is constantly monitoring the situation.

    “The helicopter crash in Kedarnath is extremely unfortunate.

    We are in touch with the state government to ascertain the magnitude of the loss, and are constantly monitoring the situation,” he said in a tweet.

    A senior civil aviation ministry official said the helicopter involved in the crash was operated by Aryan Aviation.

    “According to the preliminary information, a Bell 407 helicopter VT-RPN crashed on the way from Kedarnath to Guptkashi, possibly due to bad weather,” a senior official of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.

    #WATCH | Uttarakhand: A helicopter carrying Kedarnath pilgrims from Phata crashes, casualties feared; administration team left for the spot for relief and rescue work. Further details awaited pic.twitter.com/sDf4x1udlJ
    — ANI (@ANI) October 18, 2022

    (This is a developing story)

    RUDRAPRAYAG:  A helicopter ferrying pilgrims back from the Kedarnath temple crashed on Tuesday amid poor visibility, killing all seven people onboard.

    The chopper burst into flames close to Garud Chatti and Jungle Chatti, Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh said.

    Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief ordered a detailed inquiry into the crash.

    Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said his ministry is constantly monitoring the situation.

    “The helicopter crash in Kedarnath is extremely unfortunate.

    We are in touch with the state government to ascertain the magnitude of the loss, and are constantly monitoring the situation,” he said in a tweet.

    A senior civil aviation ministry official said the helicopter involved in the crash was operated by Aryan Aviation.

    “According to the preliminary information, a Bell 407 helicopter VT-RPN crashed on the way from Kedarnath to Guptkashi, possibly due to bad weather,” a senior official of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.

    #WATCH | Uttarakhand: A helicopter carrying Kedarnath pilgrims from Phata crashes, casualties feared; administration team left for the spot for relief and rescue work. Further details awaited pic.twitter.com/sDf4x1udlJ
    — ANI (@ANI) October 18, 2022

    (This is a developing story)

  • Helicopter crash at Raipur airport; two pilots dead

    Express News Service

    RAIPUR: In a tragic incident, Chhattisgarh state chopper Augusta Westland AW-109 crashed while landing on the runway at Swami Vivekanand Airport Raipur leaving both the pilot and co-pilot dead on Thursday night.

    Senior pilot Captain Gopal Kumar Panda and co-pilot Captain A P Shrivastava succumbed to critical injuries they sustained in the crash. Both the pilots were rushed to the private hospital where the doctors declared brought dead. There were no passengers on board.

    According to a preliminary information, the state helicopter was carrying out a night flying, while it crashed before landing, apparently owing to some technical snag on the runway. All departures/arrivals flights have been suspended at the airport.

    According to the eye-wtinesses, it was with great difficulty that both the pilots were taken out of the crashed chopper. While the senior pilot died on the spot, the co-pilot succumbed to his injuries while taken to a hospital. 

    Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel expressed his grief. “In the tragic incident, both our pilots Captain Panda and Captain Srivastava have died. May God give enough strength to their family members and peace to the departed soul in this time of grief,@ he said in a tweet.

    The airport authorities were reluctant to give any statement over the incident. An officer at the airport not authorised to speak to the media said that it’s a matter of investigation since neither the weather condition nor the night landing facility at the airport can be blamed. “This is the first such incident that occurred during the night. The Director General Civil Aviation and the state government will probe into the incident,” he added.

  • Army helicopter crashes in Jammu and Kashmir’s Gurez border area

    By ANI

    SRINAGAR: An Indian Army helicopter crashed in the snow-bound area of the Gurez sector in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.

    The Cheetah helicopter crashed in the Baraum area of Gurez sector of Jammu and Kashmir, according to a defence official. Search parties have rushed to the spot.

    “The search parties of the security forces are reaching the snow-bound area for the rescue of the chopper crew,” said the official.

    More details are awaited. 

  • 15 military chopper accidents since March 2017: Official data

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Thirty-one people were killed in accidents involving 15 military helicopters since March 2017 that included the December 8 crash of the Mi-17V5 near Coonoor, according to details provided by the government in Lok Sabha on Friday.

    The 15 choppers that met with accidents included four Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), four Cheetah, two ALH (weapon system integrated) versions, three Mi-17V5, an Mi-17 and a Chetak.

    Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt shared the details of all helicopter accidents in the last five years in all three services.

    He was replying to a question.

    The list of crashes provided by him began with the accident involving a Cheetah helicopter of the Indian Air Force on March 15, 2017, in which no one was killed or injured.

    Seven helicopters each from the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force were involved in accidents during the period while the number from the Navy was one, according to the details.

    The data showed 31 people were killed and 20 injured in the accidents.

    The total number of deceased in the 15 accidents included 14 people killed in the December 8 crash near Coonoor.

    CDS Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika and 12 armed forces personnel were killed in the crash.

    To a specific query on the crash of an ALH Rudra (WSI) in Ranjeet Sagar dam near Pathankot on August 3, Bhatt said there was no restriction on the helicopter flying over the water body.

    “Lt Col A S Bath and Capt Jayant Joshi lost their lives after their helicopter Rudra-WSI crash landed in Ranjeet Sagar Dam on August 3. There is no restriction on the helicopter flying over water,” the minister said.

    “However, low flying over water needs specific authorisation. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the crash,” he added.

    Asked whether the pilots were not given specialised training required to fly over water, Bhatt said the training has been structured to meet the operational requirements.

    He said, however, operations over a large expanse of water are restricted.

    To a separate question, he said following the Pathankot incident, the government approved an integrated smart power fencing called Integrated Perimeter Security System (IPSS) for 23 airbases.

    There was a terror attack on Pathankot airbase on January 2, 2016.

    He said Bharat Electronics Ltd signed a contract with Indian Air Force for establishing the IPSS in the airbases across eight states.

    He said the pilot site was commissioned in February 2021, adding the BEL has given sub-contract to many several Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and system integrators to implement the project.

  • IAF chopper crash: Tamil Nadu CM Stalin writes to kin of deceased persons expressing condolence

    By PTI

    CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday personally wrote to the families of the Defence personnel killed in the Coonoor helicopter crash expressing his condolences, the state government said. All the people were with the families during this tough time, he told them in separate letters.

    Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others were killed after the helicopter carrying them to Wellington in the Nilgiris district in the state crashed near Coonoor there on Wednesday.

    Stalin had rushed to Coonoor soon after coming to know of the accident and paid floral tributes to the departed on Thursday, an official release recalled.

    The state government had ensured all arrangements during the rescue activities and later during transportation of the mortal remains of the deceased, which were later flown from Coimbatore to Delhi, it said.

    “Further, the chief minister today wrote individually to the families of the Defence personnel killed in the accident, expressing his sincere condolences and regret.”

    “He said all the people were by them in this tough time and said though their loss is irreparable, he wished they got the strength to recover from it,” the release said.

  • IAF chopper crash: 3 families left to grieve for an eternity

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH: Naik Gursewak Singh (35), who was serving with CDS General Bipin Rawat for three years, belonged to Punjab. He spoke to his family on Tuesday and visited them 20 days ago.

    Naik Vivek Kumar (20) was the personal security officer of the CDS. He was from Kangra in Himachal and visited home in August.

    Brig LS Lidder, Defence Assistant to the CDS, hailed from Panchkula. He was a second generation officer who had last visited his family in July this.

    Gursewak from Dode village in Tarn Taran district has five brothers and two sisters. Gursewak tied the knot about 11 years back to Jaspreet Kaur. They two daughters and a son. His father is 70. Gursewak joined the forces in 2000 and got attached to General Rawat three years ago. Before that, he was serving in Jammu and Kashmir.

    Brig Lidder was a second generation officer. He is survived by wife Geetika and a 16-year old daughter. His father Col Mehnga Singh was an army officer who died a few years back. His sister and mother left for Delhi after hearing the news.

    Vivek was from Upper Theru village. He was home for a month in August for the birth of his son. He was a para-commando. 

  • Army chopper crash: Lone survivor, Group Capt Varun Singh, being shifted to Bengaluru for advanced treatment

    By Express News Service

    BENGALURU/BHOPAL: Group Captain Varun Singh, the sole survivor of the Mi17V5 helicoptercrash in which Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 12 others were killed on Wednesday near Conoor in Tamil Nadu, is being shifted from Wellington military hospital to Command Hospital in Bengaluru. The Hospital authorities have reportedly barred entry of media persons inside the premises.

    According to sources, Group Captain Singh has reportedly suffered 80 per cent burn injuries. He is “critical, but stable”. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament that Singh is on life support and “all efforts are being made to save him”.

    Singh had gone to Sulur to receive General Rawat and escort him to the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington, where he is the SO, Directing Staff.

    ALSO READ: Sole survivor Captain Varun Singh honoured with Shaurya Chakra in August for averting Tejas crash

    Earlier in the day, the Group Captain’s father Colonel K P Singh (retired), who is a resident of Bhopal, said, “he is being shifted to Bengaluru. I have reached Wellington.” 

    Asked about his son’s condition, he said, “I can’t say anything about that…I am not sure.”

    Lt Colonel Ishan R (retired), who lives next door to Col K P Singh’s residence at Sun City on the Airport Road in the Madhya Pradesh capital, said he was hopeful the injured officer will recover.

    He said Col K P Singh and his wife Uma were in Mumbai at the place of their younger son Tanuj, who is a Lt Commander in the Navy, when they received information about the unfortunate incident on Wednesday.

    ALSO READ: Air Marshal Manavendra Singh to lead inquiry in IAF chopper crash that killed Gen Bipin Rawat, 12 others

    “I spoke to Colonel K P Singh this morning. He said his son was a fighter and will come out victorious (from the tragedy),” he said.

    He recalled that Group Captain Varun Singh had earlier survived a life-threatening emergency while flying a Tejas aircraft during a test sortie last year. For his bravery, he was awarded the Shaurya Chakra this year.

    Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday told Parliament that a tri-services inquiry led by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh has begun an investigation into the helicopter crash that killed India’s first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Rawat, his wife and 11 others.

    ALSO READ: CDS Bipin Rawat death: Timeline of the horrific chopper crash

    Singh said in a statement in the Lok Sabha that all efforts were being made to save Group Captain Varun Singh, who was on life support at the military hospital in Wellington.

    (With PTI inputs)