Repeat crashes force ALH chopper fleet to Ground for tech. scrutiny
ALH fleet of over 300 deployed on Military, Navi, IAF and Coast Guard operations facing sudden power failure
NEW DELHI: Technical checks are being progressively conducted on the entire fleet of over 300 indigenous advanced light helicopters (ALH) after their flying operations were suspended following the crash of one such chopper off the Mumbai coast earlier this week.
The twin-engine ALH of the Navy was on a routine flying mission when it experienced “a sudden loss of power and rapid loss of altitude” on March 8, forcing the pilot to carry out “controlled ditching in the water”. With the helicopter’s emergency flotation gear being deployed, the three personnel on board exited the ditched ALH safely, an official said.
Even as a board of inquiry has been ordered into the incident, technical, maintenance and other precautionary checks are underway on the different variants of the 5. 5-tonne multi-role chopper induced in the Military, navy, IAF and Coast Guard,
Similar checks had been conducted after the crash of the Army’s weaponized version of the ALH called Rudra’ in Arunachal Pradesh on October 21 last year, in which two officers and three soldiers were killed. (images credit-MSN)
The twin-engine ALH of the Navy was on a routine flying mission when it experienced “a sudden loss of power and rapid loss of altitude” on March 8, forcing the pilot to carry out “controlled ditching in the water”. With the helicopter’s emergency flotation gear being deployed, the three personnel on board exited the ditched ALH safely, an official said.
Even as a board of inquiry has been ordered into the incident, technical, maintenance and other precautionary checks are underway on the different variants of the 5. 5-tonne multi-role chopper induced in the Military, navy, IAF and Coast Guard,
Similar checks had been conducted after the crash of the Army’s weaponized version of the ALH called Rudra’ in Arunachal Pradesh on October 21 last year, in which two officers and three soldiers were killed. (images credit-MSN)
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