No distress call recorded before Uttarakhand helicopter crash
Investigators found no Mayday signal from the Trans Bharat Aviation pilot before the crash killed six people.
A Trans Bharat Aviation helicopter crashed near Sthan Marwari in Uttarakhand on Friday, killing the pilot and five passengers, according to The Indian Express. Investigators reported that no Mayday or distress call was recorded from the aircraft before the accident.
An official familiar with the investigation told The Indian Express that the absence of communication and eyewitness videos suggest a sudden event may have left the pilot with little time to alert others. The official noted that the way the helicopter fell did not seem to match an engine failure, and some experts suggested a possible mid-air collision with a bird or drone.
The helicopter had departed Dehradun at 12.20 pm on Friday and landed at Badrinath at 1.11 pm. It crashed while returning to Dehradun after picking up five passengers. While the Chamoli district administration initially attributed the incident to bad weather, the official stated there was no communication regarding poor visibility via radio telephony.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is leading the probe. As the single-engine helicopter had no black box, investigators are searching the difficult terrain to recover a camera usually located behind the pilot's seat to find clues.
Following the crash, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) made a co-pilot mandatory for charter helicopter operations. This led 11 operators to oppose the rule due to financial concerns, resulting in the suspension of charter services for the Char Dham Yatra for the rest of the season, according to UCADA CEO Prateek Jain.