Uttarakhand helicopter crash: MoCA halts all operations till Monday

5th helicopter crashes in Char Dham region in six weeks, claims 7 lives

A deadly helicopter crash in Uttarakhand on Sunday has prompted the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to suspend all chopper operations in the state till Monday.

 

The chopper accident comes just three days after an Air India plane tragedy in Ahmedabad claimed over 265 lives.

 

Sunday’s crash was the fifth helicopter-related mishap in the Char Dham region in six weeks.

 

In response, the MoCA has launched a comprehensive review of all mountain-flying operations, ordering a fresh audit of pilots, operators, and safety procedures in Uttarakhand.

 

The latest crash involved Aryan Aviation’s Bell 407 helicopter (registration VT-BKA), which was flying from Kedarnath to Guptkashi early Sunday morning.

 

 

The chopper had taken off from Guptkashi at 5:10 am and landed at Kedarnath at 5:18 am. It took off again at 5:19 am for the return leg but crashed near Gaurikund between 5:30 and 5:45 am.

 

All seven people on board — five adult passengers, an infant, and the pilot — died in the accident.

 

According to MoCA, preliminary findings suggest that the helicopter was flying in poor visibility and thick cloud cover when it crashed into the terrain.

 

It said that this accident appeared to be a case of Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT). This is a situation where an airworthy chopper, under full control of the pilot, inadvertently flies into a mountain, hill, or obstacle due to low visibility or disorientation.

 

The exact cause of Sunday's accident will be confirmed by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which has initiated a formal probe.

 

The AAIB is also busy investigating the Air India plane crash.

 

On Sunday, rescue operations at the chopper crash site were launched by personnel from the National and State Disaster Response Forces.

 

A high-level meeting was convened later in the morning by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and attended by senior officials from the Centre and the state. They include officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and MoCA secretary.

 

Following this meeting, Aryan Aviation’s operations for the Char Dham Yatra were suspended.

 

The licences of two other helicopter pilots, flying for TransBharat Aviation, were also suspended for six months after they were found to have flown in similarly poor weather conditions on Sunday.

 

As an immediate safety measure, all helicopter services for the pilgrimage have been halted on June 15 and 16, the MoCA stated. 

 

The Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) has been tasked with conducting a detailed review with all operators and pilots before services are resumed.

 

UCADA will also establish a dedicated command-and-control room to monitor real-time helicopter operations and flag any deviations from safety protocols, it said. 

The MoCA said that aviation safety is non-negotiable and directed the DGCA to post officers from its airworthiness, operations, and safety divisions at Kedarnath to oversee helicopter activity.

 

The ministry added that no operator should undertake flights in violation of weather or procedural guidelines. It warned that discipline in mountain flying operations must be maintained at all costs.

 

Also, DGCA said it had already scaled down helicopter frequencies to the Char Dham circuit and had been carrying out enhanced surveillance since last month.

 

The latest crash is part of a troubling pattern of incidents in the Char Dham region.

 

On June 7, a private AW119 helicopter crash-landed minutes after takeoff from Sirsi, but the pilot managed to bring it down safely on a road, with no injuries.

 

On May 17, a heli-ambulance operated by AIIMS-Rishikesh suffered tail damage during landing at Kedarnath; the pilot, doctor, and nurse onboard escaped unharmed.

 

On May 12, a helicopter’s rotor blade struck a vehicle at the Badrinath helipad, triggering protests from local priests, though no one was hurt.

 

On May 8, a helicopter en route to Gangotri crashed near Gangnani in Uttarkashi, killing five pilgrims and the pilot. One passenger survived with critical injuries.

 

In a separate statement on June 9, DGCA had noted that the cluster of accidents in recent weeks underscored the need to strengthen safety oversight in the Char Dham zone.

 

It said safety investigations had been initiated for each incident to examine mechanical failures, human error, and weather-related challenges.