Porbandar/New Delhi, Jan 5: Two pilots and an aircrew diver of an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) of the Indian Coast Guard were killed when the chopper crashed and caught fire at Gujarat’s Porbandar airport on Sunday, government authorities said.
The crew members killed in the accident are Commandant Saurabh, Deputy Commandant SK Yadav and Manoj Pradhan Navik, according to the defence ministry.
Porbandar Superintendent of Police Bhagirathsinh Jadeja said the helicopter was returning from a routine sortie and crashed while trying to land on the runway.
The chopper crashed near the runway and caught fire. The blaze was later brought under control with the help of a fire tender, he said.
The three crew members were brought out of the chopper and rushed to a hospital in Porbandar in a severely burnt condition, he said.
The defence ministry said the ALH MK-III helicopter met with the accident at the airport’s runway at around 12:15 pm.
“An ALH MK-III helicopter of Indian Coast Guard met with an accident at Porbandar airport runway in Gujarat at about 1215 hours on January 5. The ICG helicopter, with two pilots and one aircrew diver, was on a routine training sortie,” the ministry said in a statement.
It said immediately after the incident, the crew were taken to a government hospital, Porbandar, where they were declared brought dead.
The reasons leading to the incident are being investigated by a Board of Inquiry.
“The mortal remains of the crew namely Commandant (JG) Saurabh, Deputy Commandant SK Yadav and Manoj Pradhan Navik will be cremated as per service traditions and honour,” the ministry said.
The incident comes four months after the ICG’s ALH MK-III helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea off Porbandar on September 2 last year, killing three crew members.
The indigenously designed and developed Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH-Dhruv) is a twin engine, multi-role, multi-mission new generation helicopter in the 5.5 ton weight class.
More than 340 Dhruv helicopters have been produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd so far. (PTI)
