Helicopter pilots operating in Uttarakhand will now have to obtain separate clearance from the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) before every flight, following directions from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), officials said on Sunday. The decision comes amid an investigation into Friday's helicopter crash near Joshimath in Chamoli district that killed all six people on board.
The helicopter, operated by a private company, crashed on a hillside near Chai village while returning to Dehradun from the Badrinath shrine. Authorities are investigating whether adverse weather conditions contributed to the accident and whether pilots flying along the same route had communicated information about potentially dangerous conditions.
๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฒ
UCADA Chief Executive Officer Prateek Jain said the DGCA had directed that pilots must obtain fresh permission for every individual flight between two destinations. Previously, the authority granted clearance for an entire itinerary, allowing helicopters to travel between multiple locations and return to their starting point under a single permission.
"Now, the DGCA has categorically stated that for every sortie between one point and the second point, pilots would require clear permission from UCADA," Jain told PTI.
He explained that if a helicopter receives permission to fly from Sahastradhara in Dehradun to Badrinath, its pilot would have to seek another clearance before proceeding to Kedarnath or any other destination.
The helicopter involved in Friday's accident had received permission when it departed from Sahastradhara for its journey to Badrinath and back. Investigators will now examine whether weather conditions were suitable when it took off from Badrinath for the return journey.
The revised procedure follows another safety measure announced on Saturday, under which helicopters operating on the Char Dham pilgrimage route must have a co-pilot on board.
๐ช๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐
Jain said a weather monitoring station had been established at Badrinath, but a similar facility was not available in the valley near Joshimath, where the helicopter crashed. He said pilots generally communicate with one another during flights to exchange information about changing weather conditions and possible hazards along their routes.
The investigation will examine whether pilots who travelled through the area before the accident encountered adverse weather and, if so, whether they warned the pilot of the ill-fated helicopter.
"We have our weather observation system at Badrinath; however, we lack such a system in the valley near Joshimath," Jain said.
He added that if a pilot flying ahead had encountered inclement weather, the information should have been passed on to those following the same route. Whether any such warning was issued, or whether there was a communication lapse, remains under investigation.
UCADA officials said helicopters are often permitted to operate in groups of two or three so that pilots can maintain radio contact and assist one another by sharing information about conditions ahead.
๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป ๐ญ๐ฑ ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐ฒ๐
According to UCADA, three helicopters departed from Badrinath within approximately 15 minutes of one another around the time of the accident. One took off six to seven minutes before the helicopter that crashed, while another departed about eight minutes later.
Jain said the three aircraft were expected to fly along the same route while maintaining communication through radio.
"These three helicopters were supposed to fly together since pilots communicated via radio. They usually alert each other about rain patches in the valley or change direction to avoid poor weather. We are now investigating all aspects of this situation," he said.
Investigators will question the pilots of the helicopters that departed before and after the accident, along with the operators of those aircraft, to establish whether any warnings were exchanged.
Officials are also examining the sequence of departures, the weather conditions along the flight path and the information available to the pilots at the time of takeoff.
The authorities have not yet determined the cause of the crash, and the investigation will assess whether weather, communication failures or other operational factors played a role.
๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ถ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฆ
Meanwhile, the Chamoli district administration said the mortal remains of all six people killed in the crash had been recovered and sent to AIIMS Rishikesh on Sunday morning.
The accident has prompted authorities to tighten helicopter operating procedures along the Char Dham pilgrimage routes, where flights frequently pass through mountainous terrain and areas vulnerable to sudden changes in weather.
The requirement for individual flight clearances and the mandatory presence of a co-pilot are among the immediate measures introduced following the accident.
Officials said the investigation would continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the crash, including whether information about weather conditions was adequately shared among pilots operating in the Joshimath valley.