DGCA imposes fine on 5 helicopter operators from Kedarnath

The action was taken over irregularities in flying records of each operator, officials said.

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has imposed a penalty of ₹5 lakh each on five helicopter operators ferrying pilgrims to Kedarnath shrine over irregularities in flying records, officials said.

Video grab of a helicopter making an uncontrolled hard landing at the Kedarnath helipad on May 30. (ANI Twitter)

DGCA also suspended officials of two other operators for three months over violation of safety regulations, they added.

The irregularities and violations came to light during an audit conducted in June, days after a chopper ferrying pilgrims to the high-altitude shrine made a hard landing on May 30. “The director general of DGCA formed a team for spot check of the choppers involved in shuttle operations in Kedarnath,” an official in Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) said. “On June 7 and 8, the team conducted a spot check in which serious violations came to light, prompting it to hold a detailed audit of all operators undertaking the shuttle operations,” the official added.

Five operators were found not maintaining proper flying records in their technical log books during the audit conducted between June 13 and 16, Arun Kumar, DGCA director general, said. Two others were found violating provisions of the joint standard operating procedure. DGCA did not disclose names of the operators