IAF Chopper Air-Dropping Relief Material Makes Forced Landing In Bihar

An Indian Air Force helicopter which was air-dropping relief material in flood-hit Bihar has made a forced landing. There were four IAF personnel, including two officers, aboard the chopper and all of them have been rescued.

The helicopter made the forced landing in Naya Gaon of Muzaffarpur’s Aurai division on Wednesday afternoon and had taken off from Darbhanga Air Force Base. After it landed, a portion of the chopper was submerged in floodwaters.

The Principal Secretary of the disaster management department, Pratyaya Amrit, said a major accident was averted because of the pilot’s presence of mind. He said the engine failed and the pilot ensured that the helicopter landed in shallow water with no people around.

The personnel have been taken to a hospital, said Mr Amrit, adding that the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) began rescue operations as soon as the crash was reported. The initial rescue was done by residents of the area.

The helicopter was an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH)-Dhruv, which are used by the Indian Air Force, Army and the Navy. The fleets of these helicopters were recently grounded twice because of technical concerns over certain components.

Earlier on Wednesday, two pilots and an engineer died after a helicopter crashed in Pune. The chopper, which belonged to Delhi-based firm Heritage Aviation, was headed to Mumbai and police said dense fog may have led to the crash but the actual cause is still being established.