Uttarakhand crash: Chopper services suspended on Char Dham route till Monday
CM orders review of experience of pilots, and condition of choppers, directs formation of new SOPs for chopper services, and a high-level probe into the incident
Helicopter services on the Char Dham route have been suspended tentatively till Monday (June 16) following the crash of a Bell 407 chopper in Uttarakhand’s Gaurikund forest area on Sunday (June 15) in which all seven aboard lost their lives.
Chopper services will resume after a review of experience and helicopter pilots, the condition of choppers, and discussions with all chopper service operators.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at his residence on Sunday to assess chopper services on the Char Dham route.
Also read: Uttarakhand: Seven killed as helicopter crashes on its way to Kedarnath
New SOPs, command centre
Dhami has also announced the setting up of a committee under the state's home secretary to formulate new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for chopper services and to ensure passenger safety. The committee is expected to give its report by September.
That apart, the government also decided to set up a command and coordination centre in Dehradun to oversee chopper services in the future. Officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the aviation department, disaster relief, and helicopter operating companies will be appointed to the centre.
“He also directed the officers to prepare a strict SOP for operating heli services in the state and for better coordination and safe operation of heli flights, a Common
Command and Coordination Center should be established in Dehradun in which the deployment of officers of DGCA, Disaster Department, Civil Aviation, UKADA, Heli Operator Company should be ensured,” said a post on chief minister’s X handle.
High-level inquiry
“During the meeting, orders were also given for a high-level inquiry into the helicopter crash in Rudraprayag. It was decided that whatever level of negligence has been committed, they will be identified and punitive action will be ensured. The district administration of Rudraprayag has also been directed to contact the families of those who lost their lives in the accident and make proper arrangements to send their bodies to the respective states,” the post on X said.
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The government has said that from now on, permission to fly helicopters will only be given to pilots who have had past and unblemished experience in flying choppers in high-altitude Himalayan areas.
It was also decided to upgrade the weather forecast laboratory and set up a new one, if necessary.
Pilot served in Indian Army
Meanwhile, it has come to light that Rajveer Singh Chauhan, the pilot of the ill-fated chopper, had served in the Indian Army for over 15 years and had vast experience of flying missions over different terrains.
Chauhan, 37, a resident of Jaipur's Shastri Nagar, was working as a pilot with Aryan Aviation Private Ltd since October 2024.
"I got information about the crash from his colleague," said Chauhan's father Govind Singh.
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Singh said that his daughter-in-law and Rajveer's wife is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army and they became parents four months ago.
"His wife gave birth to twins four months ago," he said.
Having worked in the Indian Army, Chauhan had vast experience of flying missions over different terrains, overseeing aerial operations and had been trained in different types of helicopters and their maintenance, according to his LinkedIn profile.