Saturday, 25 MAY 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Six pilgrims and a pilot narrowly escaped a major tragedy after a helicopter carrying them to Kedarnath temple had to make an emergency landing about 100 metres before the helipad in Kedarnath due to a technical snag on Friday morning. The video of the incident also went viral on the internet that showed the helicopter spinning out of control while it tried to land near the helipad. The Garhwal commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said that the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) has informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) about the incident which will conduct an investigation into the matter. He said that a helicopter from Kestrel Aviation company was carrying six pilgrims from Sirsi to Kedarnath temple. However, the helicopter had to make an emergency landing due to a technical snag about 100 metres before the helipad. He said that the pilot did not lose his patience and showed wisdom by doing the emergency landing of the helicopter ensuring all the pilgrims were safe. The pilgrims belonged to Tamil Nadu and were sent later to the Kedarnath temple. Pandey said that the administration understands the seriousness of the situation and the reason for the technical fault is being investigated. The UCADA has informed DGCA about the incident as per the protocol that will investigate the matter as well, he added.
