What led to helicopter crash in Andamans? Pawan Hans shares details

The incident occurred as PHL Dauphin N3 helicopter was making journey from Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andamans to Rangat and onward journey to Maya Bunder.

Published on: Feb 24, 2026, 16:54:24 IST

Written by Majid Alam

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A Pawan Hans helicopter, with seven people onboard, crashed into the sea while travelling between Rangat in the North and Maya Bunder in the Middle Andaman Island on Tuesday.

Police personnel inspect the wreckage of a Pawan Hans helicopter that made a controlled emergency landing in the sea near Mayabunder in North and Middle Andaman district. (PTI)

The incident occurred as PHL Dauphin N3 helicopter, bearing registration number VT PHY, was making journey from Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to Rangat and onward journey to Maya Bunder.

The seven people onboard, including two crew members and five passengers, were all safe and rescued after the crash.

How did the crash happened?

The incident took place at around 9:30 am on Tuesday after the chopper took off from Rangat to Maya Bunder, Pawan Hans said in a statement on X. Pawan Hans Ltd is a central public sector undertaking based in Noida.

Also Read: Pawan Hans helicopter crashes into sea before landing near Mayabunder

"The helicopter landed at Rangat helipad around 0905 hours. It further took off from Rangat to Maya Bunder at around 0910 hours," the statement said.

However, the helicopter soon encountered a problem and plunged into the shallow water near its destination, a helipad in Maya Bunder in the Middle Andaman Island.

"The helicopter ditched about 300 meters short of Maya Bunder helipad in the sea (shallow water) at around 0930 hours," the statement said.

A senior Civil Aviation official told PTI that an initial probe revealed that there was some technical snag, following which the pilot made a crash-landing on the sea.

Also Read: All 7 passengers dead after Ranchi-Delhi air ambulance crashes in Jharkhand's Chatra

All passengers, crew members safe

Pawan Hans said there were 5 passengers and 2 crew members on board, adding that all passengers and crew have been safely retrieved.

"A total of seven people were onboard, including the pilot. All are safe, and we are yet to take the statement of the pilot. All injured persons are undergoing treatment at Dr Rajendra Prasad Hospital in Mayabunder. We are trying to bring the injured people to Sri Vijaya Puram," Civil Aviation Director Nitesh Rawat reportedly said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Majid Alam
Majid Alam is a Chief Content Producer working at Hindustan Times, based in New Delhi. He currently heads shifts at online desk and manages homepage apart from writing, editing and curating articles. With over six years of experience in journalism, Majid has navigated national, politics and international news. His work primarily focuses on the politics of the Hindi heartland, government policies, and South Asia. He also writes on US and Europe’s policies vis-à-vis India. Before joining Hindustan Times, Majid worked at ABP LIVE as the Chief Copy Editor and at News18, where he managed the World and Explainers sections. His articles have featured in Dialogue Earth, The Quint, BMJ, The Diplomat, and Outlook India. Majid has a keen interest in the use of data for storytelling. Majid holds a Masters in Convergent Journalism from Jamia Millia Islamia. He was awarded the Erasmus+ scholarship to study International Affairs at Sciences Po, Paris in 2020. He is also part of the OCEANS Network, an alumni network of Erasmus+ exchange scholars. He is currently serving as the National Representative (India) at the OCEANS Network. Apart from journalism, Majid has a flair for academic writing and loves to teach. He has published a book chapter: 'Bombay Cinema and Postmodernism' in the book: 'Handbook of Research on Social and Cultural Dynamics in Indian Cinema.' He was also part of the OCEANS Network delegation to Hanoi National University of Education in Vietnam in 2025. He has also given guest lecture in digital journalism at AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia.Read More

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