The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Friday said that a Trans Bharat Aviation helicopter crashed near Chai village in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, killing all six people on board. The AS350B3 aircraft (VT-HCX), carrying a pilot and five passengers, had taken off from Badrinath at 1:14 pm for Dehradun's Sahastradhara helipad.
In a statement issued on Friday evening, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) said the helicopter was being operated by M/S Trans Bharat Aviation Pvt Ltd and had one pilot and five passengers on board.
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The wreckage was located in the forest area near Chai village in Joshimath. Rescue and recovery operations were subsequently launched in the difficult terrain.
Who Were The Victims Of The Uttarakhand Helicopter Crash?
The crash claimed the lives of all six occupants, including the pilot, Captain Himanshu Sabharwal, 48, a resident of South Delhi.
The other five passengers were identified as Arun Salunke, 44; H S Nataraja, 51; Prathapa Bachihally Ningarajan, 41; V B Shankar Gowda, 39; and Sudheer K, 50.
The five passengers were reportedly from Karnataka, including Bengaluru and Tumakuru.
One of the deceased, Salunke, served with Bengaluru's Central Crime Branch, while Nataraja was associated with an educational institution in Tumakuru.
How Did The Helicopter Crash Near Joshimath?
Police said the aircraft lost contact with ground control soon after departing Badrinath, with its tracking signal disappearing while it was flying over the Joshimath valley.
Personnel stationed at a nearby Army post spotted the helicopter flying towards the valley at an altitude of approximately one kilometre above the Bhandakand Temple near Pandukeshwar.
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An Army team later noticed smoke rising from the aircraft and witnessed it descending rapidly in the area, prompting an extensive search operation.
Teams from the Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police and district administration were deployed to locate the wreckage and recover the victims.
Two additional helicopters belonging to the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority were also deployed for aerial reconnaissance, while drone teams were sent from Gopeshwar to assist in locating the crash site.
What Caused The Uttarakhand Helicopter Crash?
The cause of the crash remains unclear, and investigators are yet to determine whether weather conditions, a technical failure or other operational issues played a role. Weather in the Joshimath valley is likely to be a key part of the investigation.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued an orange alert for Chamoli on Friday, warning of thunderstorms, hailstorms, strong winds and heavy rainfall. The region also experienced extensive cloud cover and intense rain, while some higher-altitude areas reported snowfall.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has sent a team to Dehradun to conduct a preliminary regulatory assessment of the accident.
Uttarakhand's Troubling Record Of Helicopter Accidents
This crash has once again brought helicopter safety in Uttarakhand into focus, where steep mountainous terrain and rapidly changing weather can make flying particularly challenging.
Data shared by the Ministry of Civil Aviation for 2020-2025 shows that Uttarakhand recorded seven of the 12 helicopter crashes reported across India during the period, resulting in 21 deaths. Maharashtra reported four crashes that claimed seven lives, while Chhattisgarh recorded one fatal accident in which two people died.
The latest incident comes weeks after two emergency landings involving Char Dham helicopter services earlier in October. One helicopter had to land in Rudraprayag due to bad weather, while another made an emergency landing in Tehri following a technical issue.
Friday's crash is expected to be examined by aviation regulators, bringing renewed attention to the safety challenges involved in operating helicopter services in the Himalayan region.
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