DGCA fines 5 helicopter operators in Kedarnath, officials suspended

Five helicopter operators carrying tourists to Kedarnath Dham have been fined Rs. 5 lakh each by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on Wednesday.

As per an official, the DGCA has imposed this fine for flight disturbances. Along with this, the DGCA has suspended the officials of two other operators for three months for violation of safety rules.

The development came after an audit was decided upon in June as several anomalies were discovered. In fact, a hard landing by a helicopter carrying pilgrims to a high altitude occurred on May 31.

According to DGCA findings, a helicopter belonging to Thumby Aviation Pvt Ltd lost control on May 31 while landing at the Kedarnath helipad, spinning up to 270 degrees. The pilot then executed a very difficult landing. Moreover, the helicopter landed hard on the helipad's surface, bounced, lost direction by around 270 degrees, and then settled on the ground once more.

"The DGCA had constituted a team to conduct spot checks of helicopters involved in shuttle operations in Kedarnath. On June 7 and 8, the team did spot checks which revealed serious violations. After this it was decided to conduct a detailed audit of all the operators involved in Shuttle operations," an official revealed.

Five operators were discovered during the assessment to not be maintaining accurate flight records in their technical log books.

Inputs from ANI