Indian Coast Guard chopper crashes in Gujarat's Porbandar airport ; 3 crew charred to death

Two pilots and an aircrew diver were killed after an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) crashed in Gujarat's Porbandar on Jan 5.

The reasons leading to the incident are being investigated by a board of inquiry, ICG said in a statement.

The incident happened around 12.10 pm, Porbandar Superintendent of Police Bhagirathsinh Jadeja was quoted as saying.

The ALH Dhruv, which was returning from a routine sortie, crashed while trying to land on the runway of the Coast Guard airport and caught fire. The blaze was later brought under control with the help of a fire tender.

"The three crew members were brought out of the chopper and rushed to a hospital in Porbandar in a severely burnt condition," Jadeja told news agency PTI.

"As per inputs, there were three personnel including two pilots in the chopper. All three have lost their lives in the incident," officials were quoted as saying.

Kamala Baug police station's inspector Rajesh Kanmiya was quoted as saying that all the three crew members died at the hospital.

ICG later in a statement confirmed the crash.

“ICG ALH MK-III helicopter CG 859 met with a mishap at Porbandar Airport Runway at about 1215 hrs on 5 Jan 25. The ICG helicopter had 2 Pilots and 1 Air Crew Diver at the time of the incident and was on a routine training sortie.” It said.

“Immediately, post-incident, the crew were recovered and shifted to Government Hospital Porbandar, where they were declared brought dead. The reasons leading to the incident are being investigated by a Board of Inquiry,” it added.

The identity of the victims is unknown and more details are awaited, officials were quoted as saying.

The ICG is a maritime law enforcement and search and rescue agency, with jurisdiction in India's territorial waters.

Three crew members went missing after the ALH MK-III helicopter fell into the Arabian Sea off Porbandar in September last year.

While the bodies of two crew members were recovered subsequently, a search continued to trace Rakesh Kumar Rana, the pilot in command of the mission.

The pilot's body was recovered in October off the Gujarat coast by the Coast Guard.

The chopper crashed while trying to evacuate an injured man on board motor tanker Hari Leela, nearly 30 nautical miles from the Porbandar coast.

A string of flaws were identified in the ALH Dhruv chopper, which is operated by the Army, Navy and the Indian Air Force two years ago.

There were certain design and metallurgy issues in some components that were identified. The scrutiny was carried out after accidents involving the platform that had forced the Army and the Indian Air Force to ground their fleets.

The choppers that were grounded resumed their operations following the completion of the safety audit.

The Indian Navy, the IAF, the Army, and the Coast Guard have a total of over 325 ALH Dhruv helicopters and all of them underwent technical checks following the incidents in 2023.