Char Dham: DGCA advisory on helicopter ops after hard landing in Kedarnath

A hard landing of a helicopter ferrying pilgrims to the high-altitude Kedarnath shrine has prompted the aviation regulator to issue an advisory to all chopper operators plying on the Char Dham pilgrimage routes, documents accessed by HT show.

No injuries were reported in the incident on May 31, when the helicopter approached the helipad for landing in Kedarnath. The operational advisory issued on Friday by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has been seen by HT.

“On May 31, at around 1.30pm, a Bell 407 helicopter while landing at Kedarnath helipad made an unstable approach to the helipad,” an official of the regulator said on condition of anonymity. During touchdown, the helicopter struck the helipad surface hard, bounced up, and after having lost direction by about 270 degrees, settled down hard on the ground.”