Video: Moment when Coast Guard helicopter crashes in Kochi
One person was injured when an Indian Coast Guard helicopter crashed just after takeoff from its enclave at the Cochin International Airport Limited, but the "presence of mind" of the pilot saved the lives of three persons onboard.
An Advanced Light Helicopter or ALH-DHRUV Mark 3 helicopter of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) crash-landed at Kerala's Kochi airport on Sunday.
All three crew members onboard the chopper were safe with one of them receiving minor injuries. In a video shared by news agency ANI, the helicopter can be seen trembling just after taking off and making a forced landing near the main runway at Kochi airport. ICG has ordered an inquiry to probe the cause of the accident.
Watch: How Coast Guard's Dhruv helicopter trembled mid-air before crash; Probe ordered
"An incident of forced landing of an ALH Dhruv Mark 3 helicopter of the Indian Coast Guard today took place in Kochi while the pilots of the force were testing the chopper. The chopper was at around 25 feet height when it had to make a forced landing. The ICG is working towards resuming the operations of the ALH Dhruv fleet," ICG officials said in a statement.
"Immediately after takeoff, when the chopper was at about 30-40 feet above the ground, the cyclic controls (which controls longitudinal and lateral movement of aircraft) did not respond," the officials added.
The fleet of ALH Dhruv choppers has been grounded since March 8 after an Indian Navy chopper met with an accident off the coast of Mumbai. The navy said three crew members were safely rescued by a naval patrol craft. An inquiry to investigate the incident was also ordered.
The ALH choppers are operated by all three defence forces including the Army, Navy and Air Force along with the Indian Coast Guard. These choppers are used in varied roles by the defence forces including transportation of arms and ammunition.