A helicopter carrying six passengers made a precautionary landing at Baurari stadium in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal district on Saturday morning after developing a technical fault mid-air, officials said. No injuries were reported, and the aircraft was cleared to resume its flight after an inspection.
The aircraft, operated by Trans Bharat Aviation, was on its way from Dehradun to Guptkashi in Rudraprayag when the pilot detected a snag mid-air around 7:15 am.
“The chopper made a precautionary landing at Baurari stadium due to a technical fault. The pilot examined the aircraft, and after a thorough inspection lasting nearly 40 minutes, it received clearance to resume its flight,” Tehri Garhwal district disaster management officer (DDMO) Brijesh Bhatt said.
Parmanand Maithani, a local resident who was out on a morning walk, said people in the area ran to safety as the chopper unexpectedly came down, while children were playing in the stadium. “We were walking when we suddenly heard the loud sound of an approaching helicopter. When it became clear that it was about to land right there, everyone panicked and ran**.”**
This is the second such incident involving the same aviation service provider in the region this year. In May, another helicopter operated by Trans Bharat Aviation made an emergency landing in Nawa Gaon village of Tehri Garhwal after encountering a technical failure while flying from Badrinath Dham to Dehradun. During that landing, the tail section of the aircraft sustained damage after coming into contact with a high-tension power line in nearby fields.