INDIA. Mumbai: Three army personnel including two pilots and a technician, were injured when an Army Aviation Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH Dhruv), on an operational mission, made a precautionary landing on the banks of Marua river in the Kishtwar region of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday morning.
According to the statement issued by the headquarters, Northern Command of the Indian Army, the mishap occurred at 11.15 am. As per inputs, the pilots had reported a technical fault to the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) and proceeded for a precautionary landing. But the helicopter apparently made a hard landing due to the undulating ground, undergrowth and unprepared landing area.
Immediate rescue operations were launched, and Army rescue teams reached the site. Two pilots and a technician were on board. All three injured personnel have been evacuated to Command Hospital, Udhampur. Their condition was stated to be safe.
A Court of Inquiry has been ordered. Further details are being ascertained.
In March this year, the pilot and co-pilot, Lt. Col Vinay Banu Reddy and Major Jayantha were killed in a crash of the Indian Army helicopter “Cheetah” in Arunachal Pradesh.
There have been 16 accidents involving ALH Dhruv, the indigenously manufactured helicopter, after Hindustan Aeronautics Limited took over the manufacture in 2002. This reply was given by then Defence Minister, the late Manohar Parrikar, to Parliament in 2016. There have been a few air crashes since then, adding to the list.
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