The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has called for stronger safety mechanisms in the Char Dham helicopter circuit, recommending that authorities establish a standard operating procedure (SOP) for sharing weather information with operators and ensure uninterrupted power supply for critical systems.
In its interim report on the May 17 hard landing of a Pinnacle Air helicopter at Kedarnath, the accident investigating agency found that the pilot had not received weather updates due to a power outage.
“It was reported that weather information was not shared between 08:54 hrs and 12:53 hrs due to a power cut and the unavailability of an alternative power backup for the computer,” the report noted, adding that investigators observed the same issue during their site visit.
The report is based on the investigation into an accident involving a Pinnacle Air Airbus helicopter that was operating as an air ambulance with a doctor, a nurse and the pilot on board. The helicopter was damaged during the hard landing, however, all three escaped without injury.
AAIB noted that there is no dedicated meteorological facility in the Kedarnath valley. The Automated Weather Instrument installed at the Kedarnath helipad provides live data that is connected to a computer, whose screen feed is circulated through a WhatsApp group managed by security staff of the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA). However, the absence of a backup power source led to a complete halt in weather information sharing during the power cut.
{{/usCountry}}AAIB noted that there is no dedicated meteorological facility in the Kedarnath valley. The Automated Weather Instrument installed at the Kedarnath helipad provides live data that is connected to a computer, whose screen feed is circulated through a WhatsApp group managed by security staff of the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA). However, the absence of a backup power source led to a complete halt in weather information sharing during the power cut.
{{/usCountry}}The agency also observed that operators rely on CCTV camera footage from different points in the valley to assess visibility, but there is no formal SOP for UCADA to disseminate weather data. The AAIB has recommended that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) direct UCADA to establish an SOP aligned with existing regulations “to ensure timely dissemination of weather information to all the operators for safe conduct of helicopter operations in the Chardham sector.”
It further urged authorities to “make sufficient arrangements like back-up power supply for critical systems, etc, to ensure that the weather information is disseminated without any delay/interruption.”
Highlighting the challenges of flying in mountainous terrain, the AAIB also asked DGCA to take additional preventive measures to ensure that pilots operating in such areas meet all prescribed qualifications. “DGCA should conduct a one-time audit of all helicopter operators on pilots’ hill operation qualifications to check if such practices exist in other operators also and take corrective actions accordingly,” the report stated.