NEW DELHI: A helicopter en route to Kedarnath made an emergency landing on a highway in Rudraprayag district on Saturday after developing a technical issue during takeoff from the Sirsi helipad in Uttarakhand.
A portion of the aircraft crashed into an empty stationary car below. All six people on board the private aircraft, including the pilot, are reported to be safe.
This is the latest in a series of accidents involving helicopter trips along the Char Dham route in recent times.
The helicopter (AW 119) operated by Kestrel Aviation took off at 12.52 pm from the helipad in Badasu area in Rudraprayag district.
"Following a technical emergency on board, the pilot has landed it on the road with its tail getting damaged due to a collision with a stationary car on the road, said a source. The car has been smashed badly too."
An official communication from the State government said, "All the five passengers on board are safe. The pilot has sustained minor injuries."
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement that the helicopter, piloted by Captain RPS Sodhi, experienced a hard landing on the road adjacent to the helipad immediately after takeoff.
"As per initial inputs, shortly after takeoff from the helipad, the pilot reported a suspected issue with the collective control getting stuck. In response, he executed a controlled force landing on the road near the helipad," it said.
All passengers are safe and unharmed. The pilot has been taken to the hospital for evaluation due to complaints of backache, the DGCA said.
This is the latest in a series of incidents involving helicopter trips to Char Dham in recent times.
A team from the Air Safety Directorate is on its way to the site for an on-site assessment. Details are awaited.
In the past, a Kestrel Aviation helicopter was involved in a freak accident that caused the death of Amit Saini, financial controller of the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) in April 2023. Its operations were suspended after the incident.
On May 8, a private helicopter en route to the Gangotri shrine crashed near Gangnani in Uttarkashi district leaving all six people on board, including the pilot, dead. TDP Anantapur MP G Lakshminarayana's sister, M Vedavati, was among the victims.