An air ambulance helicopter made an emergency landing in Uttarakhand’s Kedarnath on Saturday after it developed a technical snag. The video of the landing went viral on social media.
According to the report, the helicopter suffered a tail rotor malfunction, following which the pilot brought it to land with great difficulty. The local officials stated that the pilot’s quick thinking saved three lives—two doctors and one patient.
In the video, it can be seen that the pilot was struggling to control the air ambulance helicopter which was approaching rapidly for an emergency landing. However, he failed to reach the helipad and instead crashed into the side of the facility.
After landing, the air ambulance helicopter took a full 360-degree turn due to the lift generated from the still-moving rotors.
Those standing near the helipad were seen rushing towards the helicopter to help in the rescue.
According to news agency PTI, the ‘Sanjeevani’ helicopter ambulance was operated by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh.
District tourism development officer Rahul Chaubey said that all those on board in the helicopter are safe.
Adding more, Chaubey – the nodal officer for the helicopter service – stated the air ambulance had arrived at Kedarnath to rescue a pilgrim experiencing breathing difficulties. But it encountered a technical issue as its tail rotor, prompted the emergency landing.
He mentioned the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will investigate the incident.
Similar incident:
On 8 May, five passengers died, and two were seriously injured in a helicopter crash near the Bhagirathi River in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand.
The incident occurred in the border district of Uttarkashi near Ganganani. It involved a helicopter carrying six passengers and its captain. The injured have been shifted to the nearby hospital.
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed grief over the death of 5 people in a helicopter crash near Gangani in Uttarkashi. In a post on X, Uttarakhand CM said, “SDRF and district administration teams have immediately reached the spot for relief and rescue work. I have instructed the administration to provide all possible help to the injured and investigate the accident.”
