national: A potentially perilous situation unfolded near the revered Kedarnath shrine as a helicopter belonging to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, was forced to make an emergency landing. The aircraft, which had arrived to evacuate a patient, encountered a technical malfunction in its tail rotor, according to District Tourism Development Officer Rahul Chaubey.
Fortunately, all three individuals on board, including the pilot, escaped unharmed. The skillful handling of the aircraft by the pilot ensured a landing just a mere 10 metres from the designated helipad, averting what could have been a far more serious incident. Local authorities and swift-acting relief personnel were on the scene promptly to provide assistance.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has initiated an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the emergency landing, as confirmed by Choubey to the Press Trust of India. This incident marks the third such occurrence involving helicopters during the ongoing Chardham Yatra this year, raising concerns about aviation safety in the region.
This latest near-miss follows a tragic accident on May 8th in the Uttarkashi district, where a helicopter crash near Ganganani resulted in the loss of six lives, including the pilot, and left one person injured. The frequency of these incidents underscores the challenges of operating aircraft in the challenging terrain and weather conditions prevalent in the Himalayan region during the pilgrimage season.