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Hans India
8 hours ago
- Hans India
Chopper on way to Kedarnath crashlands on highway
Kedarnath: Five pilgrims and a pilot onboard a helicopter had a narrow escape when the aircraft on its way to Kedarnath made an emergency landing on the highway in Rudraprayag district on Saturday after developing a technical snag during take-off, officials said. The pilot sustained minor injuries and was rushed to a hospital, they said. Videos on social media showed the Kestrel Aviation helicopter standing in the middle of the highway, dangerously close to populated buildings and with a parked car damaged by its tail rotor. The helicopter had flown from Badasu base for Kedarnath when it made the emergency landing shortly after take-off on the main road just below the highway near Sirsi following a technical snag, the officials said. Six people onboard the helicopter including the pilot had a close call. People on the ground got scared as they saw the helicopter losing balance in the air and crashlanding on the road, eyewitnesses said. Kedarnath heli service nodal officer Rahul Chaubey said the incident did not affect the heli shuttle service to the Himalayan are underway to remove the helicopter from the highway. Police have issued an appeal to pilgrims going to Kedarnath by road to stay wherever they are as removing the helicopter from the highway and unblocking it can take some time.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Chopper makes emergency landing on road near Kedarnath; pilot injured, 5 passengers safe
Dehradun: A private helicopter carrying five pilgrims to Kedarnath crash-landed on a highway near Badasu in Rudraprayag district on Saturday afternoon after a suspected technical snag jammed its flight control and the rotor broke during the landing and hit a nearby car. The pilot sustained minor injuries during the landing and was taken to hospital. The Kestrel Aviation AW119 chopper, piloted by Captain RPS Sodhi, took off from Sirsi helipad at 12:52pm — one of the key take-off points for Kedarnath pilgrims along with Phata and Guptkashi. Soon after departure, the pilot noticed a malfunction with the collective control and executed a controlled force landing on the road near the helipad. Officials said that within minutes of take-off, the chopper developed a technical snag, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing on Kedarnath National Highway. During the landing, the tail of the chopper broke off and struck a parked car, damaging it. The helicopter's landing on the main road caused a traffic pile-up in the area. An official communication from the state govt said, "The CEO of the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (Ucada) informed us that the helicopter made a precautionary landing on the road, instead of the helipad, while taking off with passengers from Sirsi. There are no reports of any casualties. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been notified and the rest of the shuttle operations are proceeding as scheduled. " Upon receiving information about the incident, the administration dispatched a team to remove the helicopter from the road and resume traffic on the route. Rahul Chaubey, district tourism development officer and nodal officer for the heli service, said, "The pilot detected the issue in time and made an emergency landing on a nearby empty road. All five passengers on board the helicopter are safe, while the pilot suffered minor injuries. " He confirmed that the incident has not affected the heli shuttle service. Uttarakhand tourism minister Satpal Maharaj said, "The way the pilot detected the fault in time and managed an emergency landing on a nearby empty road suggests that if the pilot hadn't landed the helicopter on the road, the accident could have been severe. However, the govt will definitely investigate the reason behind this emergency landing." This was the fourth helicopter-related mishap on the Char Dham route in the past 30 days. On May 8, a chopper crash near Gangotri left six dead. On May 12, a helicopter blade hit a vehicle at Badrinath helipad, and on May 15, an air ambulance's tail hit the ground while landing near Kedarnath. All onboard were safe. General secretary of Uttarakhand Char Dham Teerth Purohit Mahapanchayat, Brijesh Sati, told TOI, "At present, nine heli firms are operating on the Kedarnath route. In last 40 days, there have been six major and minor incidents involving helicopters. The heli service is being used like taxi service in cities." He demanded that, "a detailed probe should be conducted to find out whether the norms are being followed. The focus is on dropping and picking pilgrims in quick time and it has been seen that helicopters operate in unfavourable condition. There should be a thorough probe." Earlier, a chopper crash near Gangotri on May 8 had led to five pilgrims and the pilot dying. On May 12, a rotating chopper blade hit a vehicle at the Badrinath helipad in what could have been a major accident. On May 17, a chopper functioning as an air ambulance of AIIMS Rishikesh crash-landed in Kedarnath. No casualties were reported and all three persons – the pilot, a doctor and nursing staff – were safe in the mishap reported close to the Kedarnath helipad. The spate of accidents has raised safety concerns, prompting DGCA — India's aviation regulatory body under the ministry of civil aviation, responsible for regulating civil aviation safety, issuing licences, certifying aircraft and operators, and investigating aviation incidents and accidents — to begin formal investigations into these events and improve safety protocols.
NDTV
a day ago
- General
- NDTV
Video: Chopper Makes Emergency Landing On Road, Tail Crushes Car
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. A helicopter headed to Kedarnath made an emergency landing on a highway in Uttarakhand due to a technical issue, damaging an unoccupied car. Five pilgrims were safe, but the pilot suffered minor injuries. The incident did not disrupt helicopter services. A helicopter on its way to Kedarnath was forced to land on a highway in Uttarakhand as it developed a technical snag during take-off, coming dangerously close to buildings and its tail rotor damaging an unoccupied car. The five pilgrims on board came out safely, while the pilot sustained minor injuries. The helicopter had taken off from from the Barasu base at 12.52 pm and was to fly the pilgrims for a duration of 45-50 minutes to the Kedarnath pilgrimage. Within minutes of taking off, the pilot reported a suspected issue with the collective control getting stuck. In response, he executed a controlled force landing on the road adjacent to the helipad. Kedarnath heli service nodal officer Rahul Chaubey told PTI that the incident did not affect the helicopter shuttle service to the Himalayan temple. Efforts are underway to remove the helicopter from the highway. The hard landing comes a month after a helicopter on its way to Gangotri temple crashed near Gangnani in Uttarkashi district on May 8, killing six people including five women and the pilot, and leaving one male passenger seriously injured. On May 12, a helicopter returning from Badrinath to Sersi with pilgrims on board was forced to make an emergency landing due to poor visibility in a school playground in Ukhimath. All pilgrims were safe. The helicopter took off again after about an hour when the weather improved. On May 17, a heli ambulance from AIIMS Rishikesh crash-landed near the Kedarnath helipad in Uttarakhand due to damage to its rear part. Fortunately, all three occupants on board - a doctor, a pilot and a medical staff member - escaped unharmed.
NDTV
a day ago
- General
- NDTV
Chopper To Kedarnath Makes Emergency Landing On Highway, Passengers Safe
Kedarnath: A helicopter, with five passengers onboard, made an emergency landing in the middle of a highway on today. The chopper, which was owned by Kestrel Aviation Private Limited, was en route from Rudraprayag to Kedarnath in Uttarakhand. The chopper took off at 12:52 pm from the Badasu (Sersi) helipad and landed immediately at the main road in Guptkashi, Rudraprayag district. It experienced a technical snag during take-off, with the collective control getting stuck. The pilot, Captain RPS Sodhi, landed the chopper on the highway adjacent to the helipad to avoid any mishaps. In the video, released by news agency ANI on X (formerly known as Twitter), we can see the helicopter parked in the middle of a road with locals rushing towards the site. A car was damaged in the incident. The pilot sustained minor injuries during the emergency landing and was taken to the hospital, district tourism development officer Rahul Chaubey said. All passengers are safe and unharmed, Mr Chaubey added. Speaking to ANI, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority said that the rest of the shuttle services are proceeding as normal. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DCGA) has been informed about the matter, UCADA added. According to the DGCA, Kestrel Aviation's AW119 (Reg. VT-RNK) helicopter made a hard landing on the road. 'A team from DAS(NR) is being sent for onsite assessment,' the agency said. This is the latest in a string of helicopter-related incidents reported on the Chardham Yatra route in the past month. A few weeks earlier, an air ambulance helicopter made an emergency landing in Kedarnath due to a technical snag. The chopper reportedly suffered a malfunction in its tail rotor, leading to difficulties in landing. The ambulance had come to Kedarnath to rescue a pilgrim who was reportedly suffering from respiratory distress. The 'Sanjeevani' helicopter ambulance was operated by the Rishikesh branch of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), as reported by news agency PTI. Two doctors and the pilot inside the craft were safe, district tourism development officer Rahul Chaubey said. On May 8, six people, including a pilot, died after their helicopter crash near Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi. The chopper was flying from Dehradun to Harsil helipad. Five of the people who lost their lives were female tourists- Kala Soni (61), Vijaya Reddy (57), Ruchi Aggarwal (56), Radha Aggarwal (79) and Vedavati Kumari (48).
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Kedarnath: Chopper with 6 pilgrims crash-lands in Rudraprayag; all safe
Dehradun: A private helicopter carrying six pilgrims crash-landed on the Guptkashi–Gaurikund highway near Barasu in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district on Saturday afternoon, a senior official said, adding that there were no casualties. This is the fourth mishap involving a chopper in a month. The helicopter had taken off from Barasu en route to the Kedarnath shrine and was forced to make a crash landing on the highway below due to a technical glitch around 1 pm, Rudraprayag district tourism officer Rahul Chaubey said. The pilot sustained minor injuries while all passengers are safe. 'The chopper was carrying six people, including the pilot. All passengers are safe. The pilot suffered minor injuries, including compression on his back, and has been taken to the hospital for treatment,' Chaubey, who is also the nodal officer for helicopter services, said. Chaubey added, 'The chopper's tail broke in the incident as it collided onto a car parked on the roadside.' He said efforts were underway to remove the 'chopper's tail that broke after it collided onto a car parked on the roadside' to restore smooth traffic flow. 'The directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) has been informed about the incident. The rest of the shuttle operations are continuing as per schedule,' Uttarakhand civil aviation development authority (UCADA) CEO Sonika said. On May 8, aix people were killed after a helicopter en route to Gangotri Dham crashed in the Gangnani area of Uttarkashi district .While, a heli-ambulance from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, that had gone to airlift a patient suffering from respiratory distress at the Kedarnath shrine made a crash landing near the Kedarnath helipad on May 17. All three individuals on board, including a doctor and a member of the nursing staff, were helicopter's blade struck a vehicle at the Badrinath helipad on May 12, narrowly averting a major accident. On May 24 last year, a chopper belonging to Kestrel Aviation and carrying six pilgrims made an emergency landing near the Kedarnath helipad. Days later, on August 31, when the same chopper was being airlifted to Chamoli's Gauchar by an Indian Air Force MI-17 chopper for repair, it crashed near Lincholi by the Mandakini River in Rudraprayag district as the towing rope snapped.
