A private helicopter en route to Kedarnath Dham was forced to make an emergency landing on a road in Guptkashi in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district, on Saturday (7 June) afternoon following a technical snag moments after takeoff.
The tail rotor of the aircraft damaged a parked car during the emergency landing maneuver.
While all five passengers remained unharmed, the pilot suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital with complaints of backache.
The incident occurred at around 12.52 pm, with the helicopter carrying five pilgrims toward Kedarnath Dham.
During takeoff, the pilot, Captain RPS Sodhi, reported a suspected issue with the collective control getting stuck.
Displaying swift decision-making, he carried out a controlled hard landing on a road below the helipad, avoiding what could have been a serious accident.
District Tourism Development Officer and Heli Service Nodal Officer Rahul Chaubey confirmed the incident, saying, “Krestel Aviation Private Limited’s helicopter was taking off from its Badasu base to Shri Kedarnath Dham with five passengers when it developed a technical fault. The pilot identified the issue in time and made an emergency landing on a nearby vacant road,” India Today reported.
Though the landing damaged a roadside vehicle, the situation was swiftly brought under control.
“The alertness of the pilot averted a major mishap,” officials said.
The local administration dispatched a team to site and the helicopter was removed from the road to ensure smooth flow of traffic.
Heli shuttle operations in the region remain unaffected by the incident.
