Government Says 12 Helicopter Crashes Killed 30 People In Last Five Years

The government on Monday said 12 accidents involving scheduled registered helicopters have occurred, killing 30 people in the last five years, with seven of them taking place in Uttarakhand.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told the Rajya Sabha, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has initiated additional surveillance and safety audits of helicopter operations for the Chardham Yatra.

As many as 12 accidents have occurred to Indian scheduled registered helicopters during the last five years. These resulted in 30 fatalities, according to a written reply.

Out of them, seven happened in Uttarakhand, four in Maharashtra and one in Chhattisgarh.

DGCA has reiterated safety norms for helicopter operations in the country, including Chardham Yatra, focusing on access control, improving parking arrangements, regulating slot allocations, enhancing pilot training, and ensuring strict adherence to Standard Operating Procedures, the minister said.