IAF helicopter makes emergency landing in Punjab

The IAF’s latest brand new acquisition, an Apache attack helicopter, made a precautionary landing on Friday in a field in Hoshiarpur, Punjab after taking off from its operational base Pathankot. The crew and helicopter are safe and a mandatory court of inquiry is on to ascertain the cause leading to the landing.

Incidentally, the IAF saw two such landings in successive days involving the latest and one of the oldest helicopters. A Cheetah helicopter made an emergency landing on a highway in western Uttar Pradesh after taking off from the Hindon airbase and bound for Chandigarh. While this helicopter is more than 40 years old, Apaches were inducted into service in September last year.