Pilot, three crew members injured as helicopter crashes in Pune district
A helicopter crash near Kondhavale village in Paud area of Pune district on Saturday left four individuals, including pilot and three crew members, injured
Pune/Mumbai: A helicopter crash near Kondhavale village in Paud area of Pune district on Saturday left four individuals, including pilot and three crew members, injured.
The incident was reported in the afternoon when Augusta Westland 139 (AW139) helicopter belonging to Global Vectra Helicorp Limited (GVHL) crashed due to bad weather conditions as the region received heavy rains since morning, Pune rural police officials said.
The pilot, identified as one Captain Anand, was injured and rushed to a nearby private hospital. Others, including Veer Bhatia, Amardeep Singh and SP Ram, sustained minor injuries and two were treated at Paud primary health centre.
According to the police, the helicopter was on its way to Hyderabad after taking off from Juhu base in Mumbai when the accident took place. Local trekking group along with emergency services rushed to the spot and began rescue efforts.
Pankaj Deshmukh, Pune (rural) superintendent of police, said the helicopter crashed at Kondhavale area at 2.45 pm and the pilot who suffered head injuries was admitted to Symbiosis hospital.
Manoj Yadav, inspector, Paud Police Station, said, “Pilot, co-pilot and two engineers were on board the helicopter. The chopper faced bad weather conditions due to rains when it reached Mulshi area.”
Witnesses reported hearing a loud noise before the aircraft lost altitude rapidly and crashed into a forest area. The Pune police have cordoned off the crash site and launched an investigation to determine the cause of accident. The families of injured have been notified, said officials.
A source at Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said that the rate of descent was fast and prima facie it looks like a problem with the collective lever. The tail was down. “From videos of the scene, I can see the cloud were at a height of 400 feet. AW 139 is a good aircraft, but the problem appears with the helicopter engine,” the source said.
Director general of civil aviation Vikram Dev Dutt said that his team was headed to the site while Juhu airport director Ashok Verma said that the aircraft had taken off at 2.01 pm and later lost touch with Mumbai ATC. “On inquiries, we learnt about the crash and the chopper is damaged extensively,” said Verma.
GVHL is one of the largest helicopter companies in the country. It has a fleet of 29 aircraft ranging from small light helicopters to medium-sized twin engine helicopters. GVHL headquarters is at Juhu airport in Mumbai.