What happened
On the morning of October 18, 2022, a Bell 407 helicopter, registration VT-RPN, operated by Aryan Aviation Private Limited, crashed during a shuttle flight service near the Kedarnath Helipad. The aircraft was performing routine pilgrim transport between Kedarnath and Guptkashi under an agreement with the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA).
Following several successful shuttle flights earlier that day, the helicopter arrived at the Kedarnath Helipad at 11:37 hrs with five passengers. After a brief passenger exchange, the aircraft departed for Guptkashi at 11:38 hrs carrying six passengers. Shortly after takeoff, the helicopter disappeared from view. At approximately 11:41 hrs, the aircraft impacted a ridge roughly 1.2 km from the helipad, breaking into pieces and catching fire. The impact and subsequent fire resulted in 07 fatalities, claiming the lives of all crew and passengers on board.
The investigation
An investigation by the AAIB examined the operational environment and the circumstances surrounding the flight. Investigators looked into the serviceability of the aircraft, the pilot's recent experience, and the regulatory framework governing the Kedarnath Helipad.
Key aspects of the investigation included:
- The pilot's recent flight history, noting a gap of over two years in mountain flying experience prior to joining the operator.
- The lack of a dedicated Air Traffic Control (ATC) service or a meteorological station at the KedNAth Helipad.
- The reliance on pilots to self-coordinate via VHF radio, which is prone to error due to terrain-induced blind spots.
- The absence of a centralized authority responsible for the overall supervision of flight safety at the helipad.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was a pilot error in judgment regarding the rapidly deteriorating weather conditions during takeoff.
- While the departure path appeared clear for preceding aircraft, fast-descending clouds quickly obscured visibility and closed the escape path.
- The Kedarnath Helipad lacks an official meteorological station, leaving pilots without professional weather updates.
- Communication in the valley is unreliable due to inadequate VHF coverage and the lack of repeater stations.
- The helipad operates without ATC oversight, relying on a system of self-regulation among operators that lacks formal readback procedures.