All 7 on board dead after helicopter flying out of Kedarnath crashes amid bad weather

“At around 5.20 am on Sunday, the helicopter went missing after taking passengers from Kedarnath en route to Guptkashi. It crashed in Gaurikund, leading to seven deaths,” Inspector General (Law and Order) Nilesh Bharne said. The site of the crash was Gauri Mai Khark, about 5 km uphill from Gaurikund.

The dead have been identified as Captain Rajbir Singh Chauhan from Jaipur, who was the pilot; Vikram Rawat from Ukhimath in Uttarakhand; Vinod Devi and Trishti Singh from Uttar Pradesh; and Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal, Shraddha Rajkumar Jaiswal and two-year-old Kashi from Maharashtra.

“According to initial information, there were a total of seven people on board the helicopter, including the pilot… In view of rescue and relief efforts, teams from the NDRF and SDRF have been dispatched to the accident site,” Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) said in a statement on Sunday morning.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami subsequently ordered a high-level investigation into the incident.

All Char Dham yatra operations by Aryan Aviation, the operator of the crashed Bell 407 helicopter, have been suspended with immediate effect, and two other helicopter pilots, working for a different operator, have been suspended for six months for flying in “unsuitable weather conditions”.

UCADA CEO Sonika said the agency was looking into the conditions under which the helicopter went airborne. “The (helicopter) services can only start after sunrise. Around 5.10 am, the helicopter took off from Guptkashi after sunrise. After taking off from the Kedarnath helipad, visibility was poor due to cloud obstruction, and the pilot was steering off towards Kedarnath helipad when he lost control. According to DGCA norms, during the return from Kedarnath, the helicopter is to maintain a minimum of 9,500 feet at Gaurikund, which he could not attain,” she said.

Debris of the helicopter that crashed near Gaurikund on Sunday morning. (Express Photo)

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said in a press release that all Char Dham Yatra operations by Aryan Aviation have been suspended as preliminary indications were that the crashed helicopter had been airborne in poor visibility conditions. Additionally, all charter and shuttle helicopter operations in the region have been suspended for Sunday and Monday “as a safety precaution”.

These were among the decisions taken at a meeting convened by Chief Minister Dhami in the aftermath of the crash. The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Uttarakhand government and top officials from MoCA, as well as officials of India’s aviation safety regulator — the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) — and others.

Directions were given to the UCADA to conduct a detailed review before resumption of helicopter services in the region and the establishment of a dedicated command-and-control room to monitor real-time operations and ensure immediate escalation of any risk indicators.

“The DGCA has been directed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation to immediately post officers from the Airworthiness, Safety, and Operations (sections) to actively oversee all helicopter activity in the Kedarnath valley and rigorously review the functioning of the UCADA Command-and-Control Room,” the MoCA release said.

It was also decided in the meeting that only pilots with long-term experience flying in high Himalayan regions would be granted permission to operate helicopters for the Char Dham yatra.

A statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said, “The Chief Minister has directed the Chief Secretary to constitute a committee of technical experts that will conduct an in-depth review of all technical and safety aspects of helicopter operations and formulate an SOP (standard operating procedure). This committee will ensure that heli-services operate in a safe, transparent manner and in strict adherence to established standards.”

“He has also directed that the high-level committee constituted to probe previous helicopter accidents will now also investigate today’s crash in detail. The committee will examine the causes behind each incident and identify any negligent individuals or agencies, recommending strict action against them,” the statement read.

There have been multiple incidents involving helicopters during the Char Dham yatra over the past couple of months. On May 8, five passengers and a pilot were killed after their helicopter plunged into a gorge while flying to Gangotri. Earlier this month, on June 7, a helicopter carrying five passengers to Kedarnath had to make a quick landing on a highway in Uttarakhand. The helicopter had hit a technical snag during take-off, prompting the landing on the road.

As a precautionary measure, the DGCA had already reduced the frequency of helicopter operations and was carrying out enhanced surveillance and reviewing operations for further action.

Earlier this week, the DGCA had suspended the helicopter operations by Kestrel Aviation in Uttarakhand.

The helicopter involved in Sunday’s crash was Aryan Aviation’s Bell 407, bearing the registration VT-BKA, and operating between Shri Kedarnath Ji Helipad and Aryan Helipad, Guptkashi. The helicopter took off from Guptkashi at 5.10 am and landed at Shri Kedarnath Ji Helipad at 5.18 am. It departed again at 5.19 am for Guptkashi and is reported to have crashed near Gaurikund between 05.30 and 5.45 am.

“Preliminary indications suggest that the probable cause may be Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT), with the helicopter reportedly airborne despite poor visibility and extensive clouding at the valley entry area. The exact cause will be determined through a detailed investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB),” the Civil Aviation Ministry said.

The ministry said aviation safety “is non-negotiable and that no operator should undertake flights in violation of weather-related and other protocols”. The ministry also said it has issued strict instructions to the DGCA to enforce all safety provisions with full authority and ensure that discipline in flying operations is maintained “at all costs, given the sanctity of human life”.

The India Meteorological Department had issued a yellow alert for weather, and heavy rain was forecast on Sunday in Rudraprayag, among other districts.

As of Sunday, 29.14 lakh people have visited the four shrines that make up the Char Dham. Kedarnath has seen the highest number of pilgrims at over 10 lakh so far.