Pilots now need fresh permits before every sortie: UCADA after Joshimath crash

Dehradun: With the investigation into the chopper crash in Joshimath in Chamoli district underway, the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority told PTI on Sunday that pilots will now need clearance from UCADA before every flight, following instructions from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The crash occurred on Friday on a hillside near Chai village in Joshimath while the helicopter was returning to Dehradun from the Badrinath shrine.

Previously, UCADA granted permission for complete routes; in this case, permission was given for the journey from Dehradun to Badrinath and back to Dehradun all at once.


Chief executive officer of UCADA Prateek Jain told PTI, "Now, the DGCA has categorically stated that for every sortie between one point and the second point, pilots would require clear permission from UCADA. Till now, permission was given from the initial point for covering various locations, and then again to return to the original point. But now, pilots will need separate permission for every route.

"The DGCA has now said that if we have issued permission from Sahastradhara to Badrinath and from there, the pilot wants to go to Kedarnath, then again the pilot would require permission from UCADA," Jain added.

On Saturday, UCADA announced that helicopters operating on the Char Dham yatra route must now ensure that a co-pilot is present on board for safety.

The chopper operated by a private firm, which crashed near Chai village in Joshimath, killing all six on board, had been granted permission when it departed from Sahastradhara, Dehradun; however, the investigation will determine if the weather conditions were unsuitable for flying when the chopper took off from Badrinath, officials noted.

Jain stated that a weather monitoring station has been established at the Badrinath shrine.

UCADA further said that pilots typically coordinate with each other regarding weather conditions before takeoff.

"We have our weather observation system at Badrinath; however, we lack such a system in the valley near Joshimath. So, if any inclement weather was reported by a pilot who went before this one, they (the pilot) should have informed this pilot also. This is under investigation as to whether it could have been the fault of the earlier pilot, because when sorties are done, we usually permit two or three choppers together so that they can go as buddies to each other," Jain said.

He added that pilots communicate during flights, particularly concerning weather conditions.

UCADA officials told PTI that three takeoffs occurred within a span of 15 minutes before the crash.

"One chopper took off about six to seven minutes before the one that crashed, and another around eight minutes after. These three helicopters were supposed to fly together since pilots communicated via radio. They usually alert each other about rain patches in the valley or change direction to avoid poor weather. We are now investigating all aspects of this situation," the UCADA CEO added.

As part of the investigation, pilots of choppers that took off from Badrinath before and after the crash will also be questioned, along with the operators of those aircraft.

The mortal remains of all six people who died in the crash were recovered and sent to AIIMS Rishikesh on Sunday morning, the Chamoli district administration said.