The Indian Coast Guard (ICG)'s helicopter crash-landed at Murud on Saturday afternoon after it faced technical glitches. All four crew members on board – Deputy Commandant Balwinder Singh, Assistant Commandant Penny Choudhary, Naviks Sandeep P. and Baljeet – were rescued safely by the Navy and the Air Force. Only Choudhary sustained a minor injury.
According to ICG, the Chetak helicopter (CG 803) took off from Mumbai for a routine surveillance sortie at around 2 pm. About 25 minutes later, the crew experienced technical glitches, forcing the pilot had to make a crash-landing at Nandgaon beach near Alibaug.
"A crash-landing is different from crashing or emergency landing," says a Naval officer. "It is done when the pilot loses partial control and the helicopter cannot go back to base." Avinandan Mitra, an ICG spokesperson, said that Singh "not only managed to land the helicopter safely from total damage, but also avoided landing at a crowded place and the sea, assuring the safety of the whole crew."
For the rescue operation, the Navy launched two Chetak helicopters and a Seaking 'C' helicopter, and located the helicopter at Nandgaon. Additionally, one ICG Chetak and an Air Force Mi 17 helicopter were also launched for the search operation. "All four crew members were flown to the Naval Hospital INHS Asvini. The lady pilot is being treated there," said a Navy officer.
An inquiry and examination of the chopper will be conducted to ascertain the reason for the crash landing.
