DGCA team probes Chhattisgarh copter crash

Jabalpur, July 20: A 6-member technical team of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation today started investigation to ascertain the reasons for the crash of Chhattisgarh government's helicopter on Saturday in the hilly forest region near Lanji in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh.

All four crew members aboard the six-seater Eurocopter helicopter were charred to death and the burnt wreckage was spread in 10 metre area on the bank of Tanda river, which divides Chhattisarh and Madhya Pradesh, according to Balaghat range Deputy Inspector General of Police G Janardan.

The helicopter, fitted with state- of-art communication system and purchased in 2001, lost contact with the air traffic control half an hour after it left Bhopal airport on way to Raipur on July 14 after a routine technical check-up.

Mr Janardan told sources on phone that after reaching the temporary helipad at Lanji, the team reached the crash site by road. Lanji's Sub Divisional Officer (Police) Ashish Khare accompanied the team to the crash site near Mohal Khurda village, about 30 km from Lanji.

While looking into the reasons, particularly low-flying that led to the crash, the team is also likely to probe why the sophisticated emergency locator had not activated after the crash, Mr Janardan said.

Alerted by pet dogs, a village farmer had first noticed the wreckage in the hilly forest region on July 17 even though two IAF helicopters and a chopper of the Madhya Pradesh government, alongwith police, CRPF and Forest personnel were engaged in search operations in both states for three days after the aircraft went missing.

UNI