AAIB, DGCA teams to probe Uttarakhand helicopter crash

Crash site. Pic/PTI

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 people 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.

Also read: IN PHOTOS: Pilot among 7 dead as helicopter crashes near Kedarnath

In June this year, the DGCA issued an advisory to helicopter operators flying on the Char Dham pilgrimage routes. It came against the backdrop of an incident where a helicopter bounced and turned 270 degrees while landing at a Kedarnath helipad in May.

According to the advisory, pilots have to exercise caution for the presence of any tailwinds during approaches, especially at the Kedarnath helipad.

Pilots must take adequate precautions and if the tailwinds or crosswinds are beyond the permissible limits, the approach must be abandoned and the chopper must return to the base.

Also, adequate spacing must be maintained between the helicopters that are flying into the valley towards the Kedarnath helipad, it had said.

According to the DGCA, the operators must ensure that the helicopter pilots are qualified and well-rested to undertake flight operations.

There was poor visibility during the Tuesday crash in which six pilgrims and a pilot were killed, according to locals.

The chopper 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.

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

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

Officials identified the victims as Poorva Ramanuj (26), Kriti Brar (30) and Urvi Brar (25) from Gujarat, and Sujata (56), Prem Kumar and Kala (60) from Tamil Nadu. Pilot Anil Singh (57) hailed from Maharashtra.

President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia condoled the loss of lives.

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