Kedarnath chopper crash: Helicopter services to pilgrimage site resume after fatal accident

Two days after a helicopter crash in the vicinity claimed the lives of a pilot and six pilgrims, helicopter services to the Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand have been resumed. Several aviation businesses started helicopter operations on Wednesday, a day after the disaster, and 981 pilgrims were transported to Kedarnath, according to officials. In addition, the service from Masta-Guptkashi to Kedarnath was restarted by Aryan Aviation, the organisation that owned the tragic aircraft. 

An Aryan Aviation official said on Thursday that a team from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) inspected the company's helipad at Masta. He said after the completion of their inspection and investigation, the helicopter services restarted. The company's second helicopter made at least six sorties till Thursday afternoon.

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At present, eight companies are providing helicopter services to Kedarnath. Since the opening of the doors of the Kedarnath shrine in May this year, 1,44,832 pilgrims have travelled to the temple by helicopter.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to reach the temple on Friday morning. During his two-and-a-half-hour programme in Kedarnath, Modi will lay the foundation stone of the Gaurikund-Kedarnath ropeway project and offer prayers at the temple.

District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh said. Aryan Aviation and four other operators flying on the Kedarnath Yatra route were recently fined Rs 5 lakh by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for certain violations, an official said.

In June this year, the DGCA issued an advisory to helicopter operators flying on the Char Dham pilgrimage routes. It came against the backdrop of an incident in which a helicopter bounced and turned 270 degrees while landing at the Kedarnath helipad in May, 2022. The advisory cautioned pilots about the presence of any tailwinds while approaching land, particularly at Kedarnath.

If the tailwinds or crosswinds are beyond permissible limits, the approach must be abandoned and the helicopter must return to base, it advised. The DGCA said the operators must ensure that helicopter pilot are qualified and well-rested.