Heli crash: Did chopper take off during orange alert despite aviation authority’s warning?

DEHRADUN: A day after the helicopter crash near Badrinath claimed the lives of the pilot and five pilgrims from Karnataka, questions were raised on how the chopper was allowed to take off when there was already an orange alert for bad weather, especially since the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) on Saturday said that its orders to halt all flight operations in the area about an hour before the accident were “defied by the heli firm”.UCADA additional chief executive officer (CEO) Sanjay Tolia told TOI that the order was issued by the body’s head of operations, Group Captain Amit Sharma (retd). “UCADA always operates under the rules and regulations of the director general of civil aviation (DGCA) in helicopter operations. On Friday, too, while following the relevant regulations for bad weather, an order was given to halt all flight operations on the Char Dham route, about an hour before the crash. Despite that order, the flight was operated by Trans Bharat Aviation Pvt Ltd,” Tolia said.He added that a probe is on to find the lapses as per DGCA rules and regulations. “It will also find out why the order was defied. A team of Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and DGCA officials have already reached Uttarakhand to initiate their investigation at the crash site. Further action could be taken as per probe findings,” added Tolia.When contacted on the UCADA’s claims, S Bhattacharya, director, flight operations of Trans Bharat Aviation Pvt Ltd, told TOI that he was “based in Delhi, and unaware of any such order”. “An investigation is already on in the whole incident and UCADA will be able to speak on it,” said Bhattacharya.Meanwhile, search and rescue teams comprising personnel from Army, ITBP, SDRF and NDRF resumed their operation on Saturday morning to retrieve the bodies. “The team managed to reach the spot after trekking around 8km across the difficult terrain through Pandukeshwar,” said Chamoli DM Gaurav Kumar.“The mortal remains would be taken to Govindgarh and onwards to Dehradun where authorities would hand them to their families after completing the required procedure,” the DM added.Stay updated with the latest Dehradun news. Download the TOI App.