IAF copter crashes, 15 on board go unscathed

An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter carrying 15 officers and troopers of the 12 Grenadiers crash-landed during a drill near Mana village in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district.

“It was a force landing immediately after take-off. No civilian casualty or damage to civilian property has been reported. A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident,” an IAF official said.

All personnel on the Mi-17 V5 transport helicopter are safe, with some of them suffering only minor injuries in the incident that happened at 9.25 am at Ghastoli helipad between Badrinath and Mana Pass, a police officer said.

The 12 Grenadiers personnel were practising inter-valley movement. Sources said the helicopter may have developed a technical snag before it crash-landed. Designed to transport cargo inside the cabin and on an external sling, the Mi-17 V-5 is one of the world’s most advanced helicopters.