No trace of missing ALH pilot as search continues in Arabian Sea
Apart from the coast guard’s ships and aircraft, the navy has deployed two ships capable of detecting, identifying and imaging objects on the seafloor, and launching remotely operated underwater vehicles for the search mission
Eight days after a coast guard Dhruv advanced light helicopter (ALH Mk-III) crashed into the Arabian Sea near Porbandar on September 2, there is still no trace of the missing pilot, Commandant Rakesh Rana, officials aware of the development said on Tuesday.
Ships, aircraft and specialist divers are searching for the pilot, the commanding officer of the coast guard’s Porbandar-based 835 Squadron to which the ALH belonged, the officials said.
Apart from the coast guard’s ships and aircraft, the navy has deployed two ships capable of detecting, identifying and imaging objects on the seafloor, and launching remotely operated underwater vehicles for the search mission.
The depth of the sea in the area is around 60 metres.
Rescuers earlier found the pilot’s seat missing from the multi-mission helicopter. It was dislodged by impact and the nose of the severely damaged ALH is missing too.
The ALH was carrying four personnel, including two pilots and two flight divers. On September 3, the coast guard recovered the bodies of the co-pilot, Deputy Commandant Vipin Babu, and diver Karan Singh, and rescued the other flight diver.
The doomed helicopter, Tail No. CG 863, was launched on the night of September 2 for a medical evacuation mission following an emergency on board a merchant tanker, and ditched into the sea 15 minutes later at about 11.15 pm. Ditching refers to an aircraft making an emergency landing in water.
The same helicopter was recently at the centre of the rescue and relief work in flood-ravaged Gujarat.