Helicopter on way to Kedarnath crashlands on highway, all safe
Rudraprayag (PTI): A helicopter on its way to Kedarnath made an emergency landing on the highway in Rudraprayag district on Saturday after developing a technical snag during take-off, officials said.
However, all pilgrims on board and the pilot are safe, the officials said.
The helicopter had taken off from Badasu base for Kedarnath when it made the emergency landing shortly after take-off on the main road just below the highway near Sirsi following a technical snag during take-off, they said.
Videos on social media showed the Kestrel Aviation helicopter standing in the middle of the highway, dangerously close to populated buildings with a parked car damaged by its tail rotor.
Six people on board the helicopter including the pilot had a narrow escape.
The pilot sustained minor injuries and was rushed to a hospital.
People on the ground got scared as they saw the helicopter getting imbalanced in the air and crashlanding on the road, eyewitnesses said.
Kedarnath heli service nodal officer Rahul Chaubey said the incident had not affected the heli shuttle service to the Himalayan temple.
Efforts are underway to remove the helicopter from the highway.
Police have issued an appeal to pilgrims going to Kedarnath by road to stay wherever they are as removing the helicopter from the highway and unblocking it could take some time.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said Kestrel Aviation's AW119 (Reg. VT-RNK) helicopter, piloted by Capt R P S Sodhi, experienced a hard landing on the road adjacent to the Barasu helipad.
According to initial inputs, shortly after takeoff from the helipad, the pilot reported a suspected issue with the collective control getting stuck. In response, he executed a controlled force landing on the road near the helipad.
All passengers are safe and unharmed, it said.
The pilot has been taken to hospital for evaluation due to complaints of backache.
The helicopter took off at 12.52 pm from Badasu (Sersi) helipad and landed immediately on the main road just below the helipad.
A team is being sent to the spot for onsite assessment, the DGCA said.
The hard landing of the helicopter on Saturday comes just about a month after another private helicopter on its way to Gangotri temple crashed near Gangnani in Uttarkashi district on May 8, killing six people including five women and the pilot and leaving one male passenger seriously injured.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Boeing aircraft catches fire on runway at Denver Airport; Panicked passengers slide out amid smoke
Denver: A major accident was narrowly averted at Denver International Airport on Saturday afternoon when an American Airlines flight to Miami had to stop takeoff after its landing gear resulted in smoke and fire on the runway.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, operating as flight AA-3023, had 173 passengers on board, all of whom were safely evacuated. However, one person reportedly suffered a minor injury and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
A footage circulating online shows the moment panic-stricken passengers rushed down emergency slides while thick smoke rose from the aircraft’s left rear wheel.
🚨#BREAKING: Watch as People evacuate from a American Airlines jet after a left main wheels caught fire
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) July 26, 2025
📌#Denver | #Colorado
Watch as passengers and crew evacuate American Airlines Flight 3023, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, at Denver International Airport. The Miami-bound jet was forced… pic.twitter.com/RmUrXYj5Jp
American Airlines, in a statement, said that the aircraft ‘experienced a maintenance issue’ with a tire on the landing gear just before taking off. “All customers and crew deplaned safely, and the aircraft was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team,” the airlines added.
The US aviation watchdog, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is investigating the incident which led to the fire after malfunction in the landing gear.
_vb_84.jpeg)
_vb_74.jpeg)