Ajay Banerjee
New Delhi, January 11
After the Coast Guard’s Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) crashed in Gujarat’s Porbandar last week, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has stopped the armed forces from using its entire fleet of 330 helicopters. HAL, the manufacturer of advanced light helicopters, said that until the cause of the Porbandar accident is ascertained and necessary measures are taken to remove it, all operators are advised not to fly these helicopters. . Three Coast Guard personnel were killed in an accident on January 5 in Porbandar, Gujarat.
It must be mentioned that the Indian Air Force, Army and Coast Guard have a fleet of 330 advanced light helicopters. Some private operators also fly these helicopters. A preliminary review of the crashed helicopter’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder indicated that the pilot lost control of the helicopter three to four seconds before it crashed. However, the cause of the accident is still being investigated. This is the second major issue facing ALH in the last 15 months. Earlier in October 2023, the Ministry of Defense had stopped the flight of the entire fleet. Five soldiers were then killed in an accident near Tooting in Arunachal Pradesh. The grounding of the entire fleet of ALHs is a big blow to the Indian Army, as the army relies on these helicopters for various missions including search and rescue operations.
