ICG's ALH Dhruv Mark III chopper makes force landing, one pilot injured

An ALH Dhruv Mark III helicopter of the Indian Coast Guard crashed in Kerala's Kochi on Sunday while the pilots were examining the copter. It has been reported one pilot was also injured.

In terms of height, the chopper was at around 25 feet and it had to make an emergency landing. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is working to resume the operations of the ALH Dhruv fleet, as reported by ANI. 

Statement by ICG on the matter

In a statement, the ICG informed, "CG 855, an ALH Mk III based at Kochi, got airborne from Cochin International Airport at about 1225 hours for inflight checks after fitment of control rods on aircraft. Before the inflight checks, the HAL and ICG Team had carried out extensive and satisfactory ground trials on 26 Mar 2023."

The coast guard stated, "Immediately after takeoff when CG 855 was at about 30-40 ft above ground, the cyclic controls (which controls longitudinal and lateral movement of aircraft) did not respond. Showing exemplary professionalism and presence of mind, the pilot with bare minimum controls manoeuvred the aircraft away from the main runway to avoid blocking the runway at the international airport."

It further informed that the pilot thereafter cushioned the landing "to the extent possible in order to save the three souls onboard." "The aircraft veered to the left and crashed onto the left side of the main runway. All crew are safe. The aircraft has sustained damage to its rotors and airframe."

Fleet of ALH Dhruv chopper grounded since march 8

The fleet of ALH Dhruv choppers has been grounded since March 8 after a Navy helicopter met with an accident off the coast of Mumbai leading towards an emergency landing. It has been learned that the chopper had experienced a sudden loss of power and continuous loss of height.

Retired group Captain speaks to Republic

Retired Group Captain Augustine Vinod spoke exclusively to the Republic about the incident and said, "The reason given to understand is a sudden loss of power and thankfully at 25 feet, which is the protocol when you start commencing the operation. Once you ground the fleet across the services. So, AHL Dhruv was grounded not only in the Indian Navy but also Coast Guard, Indian Air Force, as well as in the Indian Army."

He added, "Whenever any untimely unserviceability occurs, we do a thorough check of that particular component which has gone wrong in all the fleets. The factor of safety in the Indian Air Force, especially in the Indian Armed Forces is very high."