DEHRADUN: A helicopter carrying seven people - a toddler, five pilgrims and the pilot - crashed near Gaurikund on Kedarnath route around 5.40 am Sunday, killing all occupants. The Bell 407 chopper, operated by Aryan Aviation, caught fire after the crash, leaving the bodies charred.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau will lead the inquiry into the crash, the second fatal air accident during this year's Char Dham Yatra. On May 8, six people died in a crash near Gangnani in Uttarkashi district.
The helicopter, bearing registration number VT-BKA, had taken off from Kedarnath at 5.18 am and likely ran into dense clouds in the narrow Himalayan valley, officials said. The regional meteorological centre had issued a yellow alert for heavy rain in 10 districts, including Rudraprayag, on Sunday. Preliminary reports suggest adverse weather may have played a role.
Captain Rajveer Singh Chauhan, the pilot and a resident of Jaipur, died in the crash along with Vikram Rawat, 45, a Badri-Kedar temple committee member from Ukhimath; Vinod Devi, 66, and Trishti Singh, 19, both from UP; Rajkumar Jaiswal, 41, a coal transporter from Maharashtra; his wife Shraddha Jaiswal, 35; and their two-year-old daughter, Kashi.
Rescue teams from SDRF and NDRF reached the densely forested crash site, navigating thick fog and challenging terrain. All seven bodies were recovered. District disaster management officer N K Rajwar said, "It seems weather changed suddenly, creating foggy conditions that caused the chopper to lose its course, leading to the accident."
FIR against the helicopter firm for violating prescribed normsIn the evening, Rudraprayag police registered a case against Aryan Aviation and its executives Vikas Tomar and Kaushal Pathak under BNS section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and relevant sections of the Indian Aircraft Act, 1934.
“As per the SOP issued by DGCA and UCASO (Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Safety Organisation), it is mandatory to assess weather conditions before any takeoff. Despite dense cloud cover and fog prevailing since early morning, helicopter operations were carried out in violation of the prescribed norms,” the FIR said, adding that Aryan Aviation, Tomar and Pathak “were fully aware that disregarding the SOP could pose serious risks to passenger safety and lives”.
Rahul Choubey, district tourism officer and nodal officer for Kedarnath helicopter services, said: “The Aryan Aviation helicopter, which took off from Guptkashi, was the first to land at Kedarnath on Sunday morning. It crashed on the return journey to Guptkashi. Upon reviewing video footage, it appears that cloud formation had developed in the upper reaches of the valley, which the pilot may not have been aware of. The chopper was flying at a higher altitude, whereas two other helicopters that landed safely negotiated the clouds by flying at lower altitudes.”
The ministry of civil aviation confirmed the helicopter’s 5.18 am departure and announced enhanced oversight of Uttarakhand’s helicopter network.
On June 7, a helicopter carrying five pilgrims crash-landed near Badasu in Rudraprayag; only the pilot was injured. DGCA has since halved the number of permitted flights per hour in the Char Dham corridor, placed officers inside the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority’s control room, and suspended Aryan Aviation’s operations pending review.
Two TransBharat Aviation pilots were also grounded earlier this week for flying in unsuitable weather.
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