In a dramatic turn of events off the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a Pawan Hans helicopter was forced into an emergency landing in the sea just minutes after takeoff from Port Blair’s Sri Vijaya Puram on Tuesday morning. Miraculously, all seven people on board, including five passengers and two crew members, emerged unscathed.
The incident unfolded around 9:30 AM near Mayabandar, when the helicopter encountered a technical snag approximately 300 meters short of the runway. Pilots executed a controlled ditching in the waters, prompting an immediate rescue operation by local authorities. Within moments, all occupants were safely extracted from the aircraft, with no injuries reported.
Company spokesperson confirmed the ‘short landing’ was due to unforeseen mechanical issues, highlighting the pilots’ quick thinking in averting a potential disaster. This close call comes merely a day after a tragic air ambulance crash in Jharkhand’s Chatra district, where seven lives were lost on Monday evening.
That ill-fated Redbird Airways flight, en route from Ranchi to Delhi, plummeted into a forested area in Simaria after losing contact with air traffic control. Victims included captains Vivek Vikas Bhagat and Savrajdeep Singh, doctor Vikas Kumar Gupta, and others. The DGCA noted the plane took off at 7:11 PM, briefly communicated with Kolkata ATC at 7:34 PM, before vanishing from radar about 100 nautical miles southeast of Varanasi.
As investigations into both incidents proceed, aviation experts are calling for stringent safety audits. The Andaman episode underscores the resilience of emergency protocols, while the Jharkhand tragedy serves as a grim reminder of the skies’ unforgiving nature. Enhanced monitoring and maintenance could prevent future scares in India’s regional aviation sector.