NEW DELHI: All operators of the ‘Dhruv’ advanced light helicopter (ALH) have been told by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) that the flying of the indigenous twin-engine choppers should remain suspended till the “root cause” that led to the Jan 5 crash at Gujarat’s Porbandar is established.
Preliminary analysis of data retrieved from flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder of the ill-fated Coast Guard chopper has shown pilots “lost control for three to four seconds” before the crash, siad an official. The ALH Mark-III, inducted from HAL in June 2021, had completed a 90-minute training sortie, with the crew undertaking “running change” for the next sortie.
The chopper was hovering at 200 feet when it “failed to respond to the pilots’ control inputs” and then nose-dived into the ground and burst into flames. Two pilots, Commandant Saurabh and deputy commandant S K Yadav, and air crew diver Manoj Pradhan Navik were killed in the crash.
The Coast Guard had lost another two pilots and an aircrew diver when their ALH crashed into the Arabian Sea during an evacuation operation from Porbandar in Sept last year. The entire ALH fleet had earlier been grounded two-three times in 2023 after four major crashes. “There have also been some cases of power loss and failure of gear boxes reported in the ALHs in recent months,” another officer said. This troubling safety record has led to calls for a comprehensive investigation.
“Groundings of ALHs, which are workhorses of the armed forces, are happening far too often… Nothing should be brushed under the carpet now. HAL should resolve all problems,” a pilot said.
“Nothing should be brushed under the carpet now. HAL should resolve all problems,” he added. HAL, in turn, said it “remains committed to the fast-track determination of the root cause of the latest crash and ensuring an early resumption of safe flying operations”.
“An expert HAL team is at Porbandar examining all the evidence, while a Coast Guard board of inquiry is also underway. The way forward will be decided soon,” an official said.