An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter, with two pilots, made an emergency landing in a village in Telangana's Siddipet district on Wednesday, February 2, after a technical glitch was spotted. Both the pilots in the chopper were safe. The helicopter (ZA449) had to land in a field at Jagadevpur village due to a technical snag. The helicopter took off from the Air Force Station in Hakimpet on the outskirts of Hyderabad and was on a training sortie when it developed a technical glitch. Police rushed to the spot and provided security as a large number of curious locals had gathered close to the chopper.
Alerted by the pilots, officials at the Air Force Station sent another helicopter to the emergency landing site with technicians. After repair work was undertaken, both the helicopters returned to the IAF base.
Last week, a light aircraft of the Indian Air Force made an emergency landing in Bihar's Bodh Gaya due to a technical glitch. The two pilots, including a trainee, were safe. The two-seater aircraft M-102 was being used by the Air Force Station of Gaya for training purposes.
An official said that there were two pilots, one of whom was undergoing training in the aircraft when a technical glitch arose. The two pilots managed to land the aircraft in the agricultural field in Bagdaha Beli Ahar village under the jurisdiction of the Bodh Gaya police station. At the time, the police said that both pilots were safe and the aircraft did not suffer much damage.
In December last year, a defence helicopter, with top defence officials, including Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, crashed in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor in Nilgiris district. CDS Bipin Rawat, his wife and 12 other armed forces personnel, were killed in the helicopter crash.
A tri-services inquiry team led by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh had conducted an investigation into the helicopter crash, after which the court of inquiry ruled out mechanical failure, sabotage or negligence. It was also found that it was an accident, and was “a result of entry into clouds due to unexpected change in weather conditions in the valley.”
(With IANS inputs)