Char Dham helicopter with 7 onboard makes emergency landing in Tehri

Dehradun: A helicopter ferrying Char Dham pilgrims made an emergency landing in a field in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal district on Wednesday morning after colliding with a high-tension power line, officials said. This is the first chopper-related incident during this year’s Char Dham yatra.

The helicopter, operated by Trans Bharat Aviation, was flying from Badrinath to Dehradun when the incident occurred near Semalgaon in Dhanaulti tehsil around 9 am. Officials said the chopper struck a 33 KV electricity line mid-flight, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing in a nearby agricultural field. There were seven people onboard, including the pilot and Char Dham pilgrims. Authorities confirmed that all passengers escaped unharmed and no injuries were reported.

According to officials, the passengers were later sent to Dehradun by taxi, while the pilot remained at the site as aviation and technical teams began inspecting the aircraft. Tehri Garhwal SSP Shweta Choubey said a police team from the nearby Kumalda police post rushed to the spot immediately after receiving information about the incident. “All the passengers were safe. The chopper luckily landed safely in a field,” she said.

District officials said a technical team from the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) also reached the site to investigate the incident and assess any damage to the helicopter. Officials added that the pilot’s timely response helped avert a major accident.