Pune: While attempting an emergency landing on a trip from Mumbai to Hyderabad on Saturday, a private helicopter crashed in a hilly terrain close to a Pune town, injuring four people, including the pilot, according to an official.
According to the police, the injured persons are Captain Sanjay Anand, Amardeep Singh, S.P. Ram, and Dir Bhatia.
All the injured were rushed to a hospital in Pune, and they are described as safe, while Capt. Anand has been admitted for treatment, and no company officials in Mumbai were available for comment.
The helicopter was a Leonardo AW139 with two engines and a call sign of VT-GVI. It had a seating capacity of 15.
The tragedy occurred near Paud, where heavy rains have lashed in the past two to three days. The ill-fated chopper belonged to Global Vectra Helicorp Ltd., which is based in Mumbai at Juhu Airport.
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Though the exact causes of the crash are not clear, it is believed to have been caused by technical glitches accompanied by turbulence in the inclement weather at the time.
Aviation expert and Pune pilot Vijay Sethi said that the region of Paud is a hilly area with strong gusty winds. Heavy rains have lashed the region in the past few days, and more rain is forecast for the next three days.
He said that the pilot may have attempted to make an emergency landing as the chopper crashed in a relatively safe area, but some technical issues may have led to the crash.
“We don’t know what must have gone wrong, but the route from Mumbai to Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad passes over treacherous terrain during the monsoon. Most pilots try to fly at higher altitudes if it’s necessary to take a flight to avoid such conditions,” explained pilot Sethi.
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–IANS
