Helicopter en route to Kedarnath hard-lands on road after malfunction | WATCH

All five passengers on board were safe. However, the pilot was sent to a hospital for evaluation after complaints of back pain.

A private helicopter, en route to Kedarnath Dham, made a hard landing on a road in Guptkashi of Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district on Saturday after the pilot encountered a technical fault.

The helicopter departed from Badasu helipad at 12:52 pm and quickly landed on the main road just below the helipad. (PTI )

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the helicopter, Kestrel Aviation’s AW119, departed from Badasu helipad at 12:52pm and quickly landed on the main road just below the helipad after encountering a technical problem.

All five passengers on board were safe. However, the pilot was sent to a hospital for evaluation after complaints of back pain.

“As per initial inputs, shortly after takeoff from the helipad, the pilot reported a suspected issue with the collective control getting stuck. In response, he executed a controlled force landing on the road near the helipad,” it added.

The incident comes days after six people were killed when a helicopter in which they were travelling crashed in the Gangani area of Uttarakhand.

The incident occurred when the chopper, operated by a private company, plunged into a deep gorge en route from Yamunotri Dham. The chopper was found in a gorge approximately 200 to 250 meters deep.

The six passengers killed in the crash also included the pilot. One person was injured and was airlifted for treatment to AIIMS Rishikesh.

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had ordered a probe into the incident and directed officials to provide all possible assistance to the injured. Helicopter services to Kedarnath were briefly halted after the helicopter crash, but later resumed.