Coast Guard ALH ditches into Arabian Sea, 3 missing
ALH was launched for medical evacuation of a seriously injured crew on board an Indian flagged motor tanker Hari Leela, about 45 km from Porbandar
A massive search is on for two Indian Coast Guard (ICG) pilots and a diver on board a Dhruv advanced light helicopter (ALH) that ditched into the Arabian Sea near Porbandar on Monday night, officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday.
A second diver who was on board has been rescued by the search and rescue teams. The helicopter was on a medical evacuation mission. The Coast Guard has deployed four ships and two aircraft for search and rescue.
“Indian Coast Guard ALH, which saved 67 lives during recent cyclonic weather in Gujarat, was launched around 2300 hrs on 02 Sep 24 for medical evacuation of a seriously injured crew on board Indian flagged motor tanker Hari Leela, about 45 km from Porbandar, in response to a request received from the master of the vessel,” the Coast Guard said in a statement. One crew has been recovered and the search for the remaining three is on, it added.
Aircraft wreckage has been found. “The incident happened whilst the helicopter was approaching the vessel for the evacuation. ICG has pressed 04 ships, and two aircraft for search operation,” the statement said.
The incident comes at a time when a critical safety upgrade on the military’s ALH fleet, initiated by state-run plane-maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) after a string of accidents last year, has been completed and the upgraded control system installed on the locally made choppers will improve their airworthiness.
The Dhruv fleet, plagued by a nagging design issue, was grounded several times last year after the accidents called into question its flight safety record. This led to a comprehensive design review of the helicopter’s booster control rods followed by a drive to replace the flaw-ridden existing ones with new rods in each ALH. The armed forces operate around 330 twin-engine ALHs, designed and developed by HAL.