JAMMU (KIMS) — An aviation technician died and two pilots were injured after an army chopper crashed near Machhna village in Marwah tehsil of Kishtwar district on Thursday.
The incident took place at around 9:45 AM when the chopper was flying on a routine sortie from the Kishtwar helicopter towards Marwah when the incident happened.
At about 1115 hours on 04 May 2023, an Army Aviation ALH Dhruv helicopter on an operational mission made a precautionary landing on the banks of Marua river in the Kishtwar region of Jammu and Kashmir, the Udhampur-based Northern Command said in a statement.
The pilots had reported a technical fault to the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) and proceeded for a precautionary landing, it said.
Due to the undulating ground, undergrowth and unprepared landing area, the helicopter apparently made a hard landing. Immediate rescue operations were launched and Army rescue teams reached the site, the statement said.
All the injured including two pilots and a technician who were on board were evacuated to the command hospital in Udhampur for treatment where the technician Craftsman Pabballa Anil succumbed to his injuries.
General Officer Commanding-in-chief of the Northern Command Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi paid rich tributes to the technician.
“#LtGenUpendraDwivedi, #ArmyCdrNC & All Ranks #NorthernCommand offer tribute to supreme sacrifice of CFN (Avn Tech) Pabballa Anil, in the line of duty during operational flying of ALH MK III near #Kishtwar #JammuKashmir & offer deepest condolences to the bereaved family,” the Army’s Northern Command tweeted. — (KIMS)