Pune Helicopter Crash: 2 Pilots, Engineer Killed

Two pilots and an engineer were killed in a chopper crash at Bavdhan near Pune on Wednesday. The accident occurred soon after the helicopter took off from a golf course around 6.45 am.

"A helicopter crashed in Bavdhan area of Pune district. According to primary information, two persons are feared dead. It is yet to be ascertained whose helicopter it was," PTI quoted senior Inspector Kanhaiya Thorat as saying.

Initial reports suggest that the helicopter belonged to Heritage Aviation and was registered with the number VT EVV. It had taken off from Oxford Golf Club's helipad. Dense fog is suspected to have contributed to the accident, although investigations are ongoing.

Speaking to ANI, Vishal Gaikwad, DCP Pimpri-Chinchwad says, "Today, a private helicopter of Heritage Aviation took off from Oxford Helipad Bavdhan. We received information about its crash immediately after it took off at 7.30 am today. 2 pilots and one engineer onboard died in the crash...The chopper was scheduled to go to Juhu...DGCA will investigate it. Police have cordoned off the area..."

The police have deployed four fire tankers from both the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) at the crash site for rescue operations.

Weather Conditions and Past Incidents

While the precise cause of this crash remains undetermined, dense fog is believed to have played a role. A similar incident occurred in August when a private helicopter en route from Mumbai to Hyderabad crashed near Paud village in Pune. Fortunately, all four passengers survived but sustained injuries.

Talking about the incident, Pankaj Deshmukh, superintendent of police (Pune Rural), had said: "A private helicopter crashed near Paud village in Pune district. The helicopter belongs to a private aviation company. It was going from Mumbai to Hyderabad, four people were travelling in the helicopter, assessment of any injuries is being looked into," he told ANI.