Army helicopter crashes
Bivek Mathur
KISHTWAR, May 4: An Army helicopter crashed after a “hard landing” on the banks of Marua river in Machna Village of the Marwah sub-division in Kishtwar today, resulting in the death of a technician and injuries to two pilots on board, officials said.
In a statement, Army said at about 1115 hours, an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv on an operational mode made a precautionary landing on the banks of Marua river in Marwah area.
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“The pilots had reported a technical fault to the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) and proceeded for a precautionary landing,” read the statement, adding, “but due to undulating ground, undergrowth and unprepared landing area, the helicopter apparently made a hard landing”.
Sources said immediately after the incident, a rescue operation was started by the locals and a police party that was deputed for the exam duty at Dherna Village.
“The local police then called the Army teams for help who were already on the toes as the pilots had already reported a technical snag to the ATC,” sources said.
They further said that the locals, police and Army teams then evacuated the injured to Command Hospital, Udhampur, where the technician-Craftsman Pabballa Anil-succumbed to his injuries while the condition of the injured pilots is stable.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has paid tribute to the deceased soldier and stated that the supreme sacrifice made by the latter shall always be remembered.
“My heartfelt tribute to CFN (Avn Tech) Pabballa Anil who made supreme sacrifice in the line of duty in Kishtwar. My thoughts are with the bereaved family in this hour of grief. His selfless service to the nation will always be remembered (sic),” the LG Manoj Sinha wrote in a tweet.
The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Northern Command, Lt General Upendra Dwivedi has also paid rich tribute to the deceased technician.
“#LtGenUpendraDwivedi, #ArmyCdrNC & all ranks #Northern Command offer tribute to supreme sacrifice of CFN (Avn Tech) Pabballa Anil, in the line of duty during operational flying of ALHMK III near #Kishtwar #JammuKashmir & offer deepest condolences to the bereaved family (sic),” tweeted the Army’s Northern Command.
As per reports, Pabballa Anil, 30, hailed from Rajanna Sircilla district of Telangana.
The Army has ordered a court of inquiry into the helicopter crash incident while further details are being ascertained.
On January 25, 2021, Army helicopter Dhruv crash-landed in Kathua district’s Lakhanpur area near Punjab border, killing one pilot and injuring another.
On August 3, 2021, Army aviation squadron’s Rudra helicopter crashed into Ranjit Sagar dam on Kathua-Pathankot border, killing both the pilots-Lt Col Abheet Singh and Captain Jayant Joshi. While the body of Singh was retrieved from the dam on August 15, Joshi’s mortal remains were fished out on October 17.
In another accident on September 21, 2021, Army’s Cheetah helicopter crash-landed in dense forests near Patnitop in Udhampur district, killing both the pilots-Major Rohit Kumar and Major Anuj Rajput.
On March 11, 2022, Army’s Cheetah helicopter crashed in Gurez sector of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district, killing its co-pilot Major Sankalp Yadav and injuring the pilot, a Lt Col-rank officer.
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