‘Salute You Forever': Wife Bids Farewell To Pilot Husband Killed In Kedarnath Chopper Crash
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The tragic crash occurred early on June 15 when a helicopter belonging to Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd went down above the forests of Gaurikund in Uttarakhand amid dense fog.
Heartfelt visuals from Shastri Nagar captured a moment of profound grief as Lt Colonel Deepika Chauhan stood in uniform to bid an emotional farewell to her husband, Lt Colonel Rajveer Singh Chauhan, during his final rites. Draped in the national flag and surrounded by fellow officers and mourners, the coffin of Capt Chauhan, who was piloting the ill-fated helicopter that crashed near Kedarnath, was received with full military honours.
The tragic crash occurred early on June 15 when a helicopter belonging to Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd went down above the forests of Gaurikund in Uttarakhand amid dense fog and near-zero visibility. All seven on board were killed, including five pilgrims, an employee of the Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee, and the pilot, Capt Rajveer Singh Chauhan.
District Tourism Development Officer and heli service nodal officer Rahul Chaubey confirmed that the helicopter was reported missing shortly after takeoff and a search operation was launched immediately. The poor weather is believed to have caused disorientation and led to the crash.
The deceased included Shraddha Rajkumar Jaiswal (35) and a two-year-old child, Kashi, both from Maharashtra; Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal (41) from Gujarat; Vikram Singh Rawat from Uttarakhand; Vinood Devi (66) and Tushti Singh (19) from Uttar Pradesh; and the pilot, Capt Rajveer Singh Chauhan.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on X that the State Disaster Response Force and other agencies had been deployed for relief and recovery efforts.
The incident came just days after the catastrophic Air India flight AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad, which claimed the lives of 241 passengers and crew members, and several people on the ground. Together, the two tragedies have cast a long shadow over India's aviation safety and prompted renewed calls for stricter oversight of private and commercial aviation operations.
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Hindustan Times
25 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Despite AAIB recommendations, flying conditions in Kedar valley see little improvement
Dehradun, The recent helicopter crash near Kedarnath, in which seven lives were lost, has proved yet again that aviation regulatory authorities have not learnt lessons from similar air mishaps in the challenging Kedar valley and have done little to improve flying conditions. An Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd.'s Bell 407 chopper with seven on board crashed and caught fire on June 15 while returning from Kedarnath over the forests of Gaurikund, killing all passengers, including pilgrims, the pilot and a 23-month-old toddler. It was the fifth air accident involving a helicopter on the route within one and a half months since the start of the Char Dham yatra on April 30 this year. A similar accident involving a helicopter of the same aviation firm took place near the Himalayan temple on October 18, 2022, killing as many people. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau , which comes under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, probed the incident and gave its recommendations to the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority in 2023 to avoid a repeat of the mishap. Two years since the submission of the report, little has been done to implement its recommendations to rein in air accidents in the treacherous Char Dham sector, where pilots face several weather and terrain-related challenges. In the October 2022 crash, which bore striking circumstantial resemblance to the June 15 crash, the helicopter impacted the ridge about 1.2 km from the helipad and toppled down the slope, breaking into pieces. All seven on board the chopper, which was also a Bell 407, returning from Kedarnath to Guptkashi, were killed in the crash. The AAIB, in its investigation report submitted to the UCADA after a gap of around a year in November 2023, said the accident was caused by an error of judgment on the part of the crew to correctly assess the deteriorating weather situation for a safe take-off and flight. Fast descending clouds closed the departure path that may have been available to the preceding helicopter, and VT-RPN impacted the ridge due to obscured visibility, the AAIB said in its report. The safety recommendations made by the bureau included setting up an Aviation Met Station manned by qualified Met experts at Kedarnath to provide more accurate weather updates to all operators flying into Kedarnath. UCADA may approach the India Meteorological Department for providing such services at Kedarnath, it suggested. According to the Standard Operating Procedure for chopper operations in Kedar valley, the crew are required to keep continuous watch on the weather in the valley, and in case of any doubt, it is advisable to return and wait at the helipad, it said. The pilot first encountering bad weather is to give a call on Radio Telephony regarding the decision to call off due to bad weather, and this shall be acknowledged on RT and binding on all helicopters airborne at the time. The operators/crew are required to obtain weather updates through the IMD from Dehradun before commencement of flight; however, there is a considerable difference in weather in the valley from that of Dehradun. The SOP also contains various other procedures that require pilots to continuously have a weather watch and to ensure that, before the flight, actual weather conditions of the region and the helipads shall be ascertained and assessed. Most of these procedures can be adopted only when actual weather conditions and trends are known to the crew before they decide to conduct the flight or not, the AAIB said. However, in the absence of any Met facility in the valley, everything is dependent on the individual pilot's perception, it said. With frequent changes in weather conditions in the valley, total dependency on pilots' perception cannot be relied upon every time, the AAIB's report said. It recommended that the UCADA establish an Air Traffic Control at Kedarnath for better control and monitoring of operations by helicopter operators, the bureau said in its report. The operations in the valley are, however, in an uncontrolled environment as there is no ATC. All operators file a Flight Plan at Delhi ACC and obtain FIC/ADC before taking off from their helipads. The DGCA should ensure that helipads at shrines like Kedarnath, which handle a high number of sorties and passenger loads daily, should be licensed, and a helipad operator is individually responsible for the safety and security of helipad operations. The DGCA should ensure that the operational areas at Kedarnath helipad have adequate CCTV coverage, and the availability of recordings should be checked during all audits and surveillances. However, the Kedarnath helipad still does not have an ATC as recommended by the AAIB after its investigations into the October 18, 2022, crash. When contacted, UCADA officials said the feasibility of setting up an ATC in Kedarnath is being explored. Another major recommendation made by the AAIB for setting up an Aviation Met Station in Kedarnath has also not been implemented yet. "There are more than a dozen cameras for weather monitoring, and the pilot has an app for weather updates. We have a mini weather station in the area apart from the real-time update system," UCADA CEO Sonika told reporters.
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Business Standard
25 minutes ago
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DGCA seeks Air India pilots' training data, crashed plane dispatcher info
India's aviation safety watchdog has asked Air India for the training records of the pilots and dispatcher for the plane that crashed last week as part of its investigation into the incident that killed at least 271 people, government memos showed. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation also asked all flying schools to conduct training compliance checks, according to the confidential memos, seen by Reuters. The DGCA said the requests were part of a "regulatory" review of the accident, and also sought details of action taken following the watchdog's audits of Air India in the last few months. It asked for the details to be provided by Monday. It was not clear whether Air India had complied with the directive. The airline and the DGCA did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London with 242 people on board began losing height seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday before crashing into nearby buildings. Everyone on board was killed, bar a single passenger, along with about 30 on the ground. Sumeet Sabharwal, who the Indian government has said had 8,200 flying hours of experience and was also an Air India instructor, was the commanding pilot of flight AI171. His co-pilot was Clive Kunder who had 1,100 hours of experience. Sabharwal's funeral took place in Mumbai on Tuesday. The watchdog requested for training details and supporting documents for the pilots, as well as for the flight dispatcher. The memo did not elaborate on the type of documents required, but accident investigations commonly look at a crew's training and qualifications, flight history, medical records and any actions previously taken against them. The memo did not raise any concerns with Air India's operations and some of the requests are standard in the aftermath of a major incident. Dispatchers are DGCA-certified ground-based airline employees whose role includes flight planning, assessing weather and airspace conditions, and coordination with the pilots. While the request for pilot training data was sent by the DGCA, the accident investigation is being led by another wing of the aviation ministry, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. Air India's Chairman N. Chandrasekaran told staff on Monday the incident should be a catalyst to build a safer airline. The DGCA, through a separate memo dated June 16, also asked flying schools across the country to "strictly follow additional safety and operational measures." The regulator said instructors must check for compliance with procedures concerning training, maintenance and licensing, and coordinate flight plans with nearby airports in advance to ensure any emergencies are dealt with swiftly. "Compliance will be assessed during audits/surveillance," said the memo by the Directorate of Flying Training, reviewed by Reuters. Stephanie Pope, the head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, visited Air India's headquarters near New Delhi and met the airline's chairman to discuss the crash, Reuters reported on Monday. The crash poses a new challenge for Air India, which the Tata Group bought in 2022 and has been trying to revamp, and Boeing, which is trying to rebuild public trust following a series of safety and production crises. In a June 13 memo headed "updating airport emergency plan", seen by Reuters, government-managed airports have also been asked to conduct a full-scale training exercise - typically an emergency drill - on June 30.
Mint
30 minutes ago
- Mint
New shocking footage of Ahmedabad tragedy - Students jump from BJ Medical College building after Air India plane crash
Air India Plane CRash: On 12 June 2025, a tragic Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, claiming the lives of 241 passengers and crew. The aircraft struck the BJ Medical College hostel, igniting a massive fire that engulfed the building and surrounding area. New video footage has now emerged, showing the harrowing moments when students at the medical college desperately jumped from the burning hostel to escape the flames and smoke. The footage captures thick plumes of black smoke billowing from the hostel as panicked students scramble to flee. Some are seen climbing down from the medical college's windows and balconies, while others use makeshift ropes fashioned from tied-together bedsheets to descend from higher floors. The scenes reveal a desperate attempt to survive amid chaos, with students helping one another to escape the rapidly spreading fire. Several students were even seen perched on nearby trees, watching helplessly as the fire raged on. The Air India plane crash not only resulted in the loss of nearly all lives on board but also claimed the lives of around 30 people on the ground, including five medical students residing in the hostel. The plane's tail reportedly struck the college mess hall during lunchtime, causing a devastating impact. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched a thorough investigation into the incident. Following the tragic Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash near Ahmedabad on 12 June, significant developments have unfolded in the investigation and response efforts. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India is leading the inquiry, with crucial assistance from international agencies including the United States' National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the United Kingdom's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Both the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR), commonly known as the black boxes, have been successfully recovered from the crash site. In the wake of the accident, the Civil Aviation Ministry has ordered enhanced safety checks on the entire Boeing 787-8/9 fleet operated by Air India to prevent any recurrence of similar incidents. The Air India plane crash claimed 241 lives onboard, including prominent figures such as former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, whose funeral was held with full state honours. The disaster also resulted in casualties on the ground, as the aircraft struck a medical college hostel, intensifying the tragedy.
