AAIB, DGCA teams to probe Uttarakhand helicopter crash

New Delhi: Teams of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and aviation regulator DGCA will be probing the helicopter crash near Kedarnath in Uttarakhand that killed seven pilgrims on Tuesday, according to a senior official.

The operator of the ill-fated helicopter – Aryan Aviation – had come under the regulatory scanner and was fined Rs 5 lakh recently by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for certain violations.

The senior DGCA official said the teams of AAIB and DGCA have already left for the site.

It is an accident as per the classification of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and AAIB will be probing the case, the official added.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will also be investigating the accident.

The chopper – Bell 407 (VT-RPN) – operated by Aryan Aviation burst into flames at around 11.45 am at Dev Darshini in Garud Chatti, Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh said.