Uttarkashi Helicopter Crash: Chopper Hit Overhead Cable During Emergency Landing, Says AIIB Preliminary Report

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The helicopter that crashed in Uttarkashi on May 8, killing all six people onboard, struck an overhead fibre cable with its main rotor while attempting an emergency landing, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AIIB) has said in its preliminary report.

The BELL 407 helicopter began to descend from its assigned altitude around 20 minutes after take off. The pilot tried to make an emergency landing on the Uttarkashi-Gangotri National Highway. However, the aircraft hit the cable running alongside the road, leading to a fatal crash, the AIIB report said.

According to a senior Ministry of Civil Aviation official, the helicopter, registered as VT-OXF and operated by Aero Trans Service Private Limited, was chartered from Ahmedabad and carried six passengers and one captain.

Visuals from the crash site showed the mangled interior of the chopper.

What the AIIB report said

"The purpose of the flight was Charter flying for Char Dham Yatra . This was a single pilot operation flight, and this sector was planned to be operated by another pilot. The assigned flight level for this entire sector was 10,500ft AMSL... The helicopter airborne again at 08:11 IST from Kharsali helipad," the report said.

According to an ANI report, investigators noted that the helicopter began descending from its assigned cruising altitude and attempted an emergency landing on the Uttarkashi -Gangotri Road (NH 34), near Gangnani.

During the descent, the main rotor blade struck an overhead cable that ran parallel to the road. The impact also damaged nearby metal barricades before the helicopter tumbled down a steep slope. It eventually came to rest against a tree roughly 250 feet into a gorge.

"The helicopter flew for 20 minutes before descending from its assigned altitude... Eventually, it came to rest against a tree, approximately 250 feet deep into a gorge," the report said.

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The report said the aircraft was airworthy at the time of the flight. Records show a tail rotor defect had been fixed two days prior to the crash and is not believed to have contributed to the incident. All required inspections were current as of April 25, 2025.

"The BELL 407 helicopter was manufactured in 2008... The last scheduled inspections were carried out on April 25, 2025," the report noted.

The technical logbook showed the last pilot-reported defect was tail rotor skin peeling on May 3, 2025, which was corrected by May 7.

"The last defect reported by the pilot was 'surface skin peeled at the tail rotor tip'... the Certificate to Release to service was issued on 07th May 2025," the report said.

Additional coordination with international authorities and technical advisors is ongoing as investigators continue to gather and analyse evidence to determine the root causes.

Gaurikund helicopter crash

On June 15, another helicopter carrying seven passengers had crashed in Uttarakhand's Gaurikund . The incident took place at 5:20 am when the chopper, with six passengers – five adults and one child – and the pilot, which was going from Shri Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi, crashed near Gaurikund.

The crash site is located nearly 5 km above Gaurikund known as Gauri Mai Khark. Sources said the chopper belonging to Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd crashed between Gaurikund and Trijuginarayan in Kedarghati and caught fire, a PTI report said. Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said zero visibility caused by bad weather apparently led to the crash.

According to the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), the passengers in the helicopter hail from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. A couple and their two-year-old daughter hailing from Yavatmal in Maharashtra were among the seven persons killed.

This crash will also be probed by the AIIB.

(This is a developing story. Please check back for updates)

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