India
No Distress Call Recorded From Helicopter That Crashed Near Uttarakhand
Investigators probing the crash of a Trans Bharat Aviation helicopter near Sthan Marwari in Uttarakhand have said that no Mayday or distress call was recorded from the pilot before the aircraft went down. The helicopter, which departed Dehradun at 12:20 pm on Friday and landed at Badrinath at 1:11 pm, crashed while returning to Dehradun, killing the pilot and five passengers. Eyewitness accounts and video footage show the helicopter descending before impact, suggesting a sudden event that left little time for the pilot to alert other aircraft. An official familiar with the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that some aviation experts speculate a mid‑air collision with a bird or drone, but the investigation is still ongoing. The official added that the manner of the fall did not appear consistent with engine failure.
The Chamoli district administration’s initial Action‑Taken Report attributed the incident to adverse weather in the Hathi Parvat area, where the helicopter was descending toward a lower altitude. The Indian Meteorological Department had issued an orange alert for Chamoli on October 30, warning of thunderstorms, lightning, hail and gusty winds of 40‑50 km/h in isolated areas. However, the official said there was no communication about poor visibility or any issue that the pilot faced, and that otherwise such an issue would have been raised over radio telephony.
The Indian Express had earlier reported that another helicopter took off from Badrinath eight minutes after the Trans Bharat aircraft and landed safely, and that a further helicopter departed nearly an hour later. Two flights that had flown before the crashed aircraft also completed their journeys safely. The timing and sequence of these flights are being examined as part of the investigation.
Pilots of other helicopters operating in the area have shared their versions with authorities, and none reported receiving a distress call or hearing any communication about poor visibility or other operational difficulties over radio telephony.
The investigation team is searching for a camera usually installed behind the pilot’s seat, as the single‑engine helicopter had no black box. The camera could provide clues about the final moments. The team is also questioning eyewitnesses who saw the helicopter descending before it crashed and consulting aviation experts.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing the accident. "Everything is under investigation. Maybe if we get some more clues, more evidence, we’ll be in a better position to conclude something," the official said.
Charter helicopter services for the Char Dham Yatra have been suspended for the remainder of the season following a meeting between helicopter operators and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday. The meeting came after 11 helicopter operators wrote to the authorities opposing the DGCA’s decision to make two pilots mandatory for charter helicopter operations for the remainder of the ongoing pilgrimage season. The operators raised concerns that the requirement would make it financially unviable for them to continue operations, particularly with only a week left in this year’s yatra. CEO of UCADA Prateek Jain told The Indian Express that the operators requested the DGCA to re‑look at the decision and that a final decision on the twin‑pilot requirement would be taken before the next year’s yatra. "For now, we’ve all agreed to call off the charter services for Char Dham Yatra for this season," he said. Passengers who had already booked charter services have been informed that they would receive refunds. The DGCA had made a co‑pilot mandatory for charter helicopter operations after Friday’s crash, a decision that prompted the 11 operators to raise objections over its financial implications.