One dead in helicopter crash in Badrinath
A helicopter carrying pilgrims crashed in Badrinath on Saturday morning, killing a flight engineer and injuring the two pilots. The accident reportedly occurred due to insufficient air pressure in the chopper. The Agusta 119 helicopter, belonging to a Mumbai-based operator, was carrying five pilgrims and three crew members, and was travelling from Badrinath to Haridwar.
A crew member died and two pilots were injured after the helicopter ferrying pilgrims met with an accident while taking of from Badrinath in Uttarakhand.Five passengers have been reported to be safe. An official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in Delhi said that an engineer, who was part of the crew, died in the accident, while the two pilots suffered injuries.Chamoli Superintendent of Police Tripti Bhatt said that the phone that the engineer, identified as Vikram Lamba, who hailed from Assam, was hit by rotor blades.The police officer said the helicopter got disbalanced while taking off due to insufficient air pressure and fell down. The accident took place around 0745 hrs.All the pilgrims were from Vadodara in Gujarat and they had left for their respective destinations, the police officer said.The Agusta 119 helicopter, belonging to Mumbai-based private operator Krestal Aviation, was on its way from Badrinath to Haridwar. The DGCA said it was investigating the matter.With inputs from PTI Also:IAF's Chetak helicopter crashes in Allahabad, pilots safe