Why helicopters to Kedarnath are crashing

On Sunday, a helicopter operated by Aryan Aviation took off at around 5.20 am from Kedarnath in Uttarakhand. It was scheduled to land in around 15 minutes at Guptkashi, a little over 20 km away. It crashed en route, killing all seven on board, including a two-year-old child.

It was the fifth helicopter crash in the state in a span of just six weeks between May and June. Three of these choppers were flying to or from the Kedarnath shrine in Rudraprayag district, one of four destinations on the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit.

According to a government press release, “preliminary indications” pointed to the fact that the chopper was flown “despite poor visibility and extensive clouding at the valley entry area”.

Later that day, Uttarakhand police registered a first information report with respect to the incident, accusing two managers of Aryan Aviation of culpable homicide because the chopper had taken off around 50 minutes before the departure time allotted to it.

In addition to the crashes, there have been near misses. Early in June, a helicopter developed a technical issue after taking off from Barasu for Kedarnath, and the pilot made an emergency landing on a nearby highway, thus saving the lives of those on board.

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