A tragic helicopter crash near Pune city early Wednesday morning claimed the lives of three experienced aviation professionals, including two former Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots and a retired Navy engineer, reported PTI. The incident involved an Agusta 109 helicopter owned by Heritage Aviation, a private Delhi-based aviation company. 

The victims have been identified as pilot Paramjeet Singh (62) and co-pilot G.K. Pillai (57), both ex-IAF personnel, and aircraft maintenance engineer Pritam Kumar Bhardwaj (53), a former Indian Navy officer. According to authorities, the helicopter caught fire after crashing in hilly terrain near Bavdhan, approximately 25 km from Pune.

The helicopter had been hired by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for transport, with Maharashtra NCP chief and MP Sunil Tatkare confirming that he had flown in the same helicopter just a day before the accident. “I am deeply saddened by the incident. I was supposed to fly in it today,” Tatkare told PTI.

The chopper took off from the Oxford County Golf Course helipad at 7:30 am and was en route to Juhu in Mumbai when it crashed just ten minutes later at 7:40 am. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, and a preliminary report is expected soon.

Also Read

While fog is suspected to have contributed to the accident, Pimpri Chinchwad Joint Commissioner of Police Shashikant Mahavarkar said further investigation is needed to determine the exact cause. Fire tenders and water tankers were immediately deployed to the scene to control the fire caused by the crash.

This marks the second helicopter crash in the Pune area within weeks, following an August 24 incident in which a private helicopter flying from Mumbai to Hyderabad went down in the Paud area. Fortunately, no casualties were reported in that case.

A team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has been dispatched to the crash site to gather evidence for the ongoing inquiry. 

Authorities and aviation experts await the results of the investigation as the nation mourns the loss of three highly skilled professionals.

(With inputs from Reuters)