In yet another alarming incident on the Char Dham yatra route, a private helicopter carrying five pilgrims to Kedarnath crash-landed shortly after takeoff from Sirsi helipad on Saturday morning. The aircraft made a precautionary landing in the Badasu area of Rudraprayag district after its tail broke off during flight. Fortunately, all passengers and crew escaped unhurt.
Heli-concerns in the #CharDhamYatra of #Uttarakhand
What’s happening in Uttarakhand should worry all of us. A helicopter landed on a road in the #Kedarnath area today. A month ago on May 8, 2025 six pilgrims lost their lives in a heli crash in the #Uttarkashi district. There was… pic.twitter.com/IqamSOaXnE
— Anoop Nautiyal (@Anoopnautiyal1) June 7, 2025
Sirsi helipad is one of the key take-off points for pilgrims heading to the Kedarnath shrine, alongside Phata and Guptkashi. Saturday’s mishap marks the fourth helicopter-related incident on the Char Dham route within a month, intensifying concerns over aerial safety in the Himalayan region.
In an official statement, the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) clarified the nature of the incident: “The CEO of UCADA has informed that a helicopter made a precautionary landing on the road, instead of the helipad, while taking off with passengers from Sirsi. There are no reports of any casualties. The DGCA has been notified, and the rest of the shuttle operations are proceeding as scheduled.”
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has taken cognizance of the situation and is expected to initiate a probe into the repeated mishaps.
The latest crash-landing follows a string of incidents:
- May 8: A helicopter crashed near Gangotri, claiming six lives.
- May 12: A near-miss occurred when a chopper blade struck a vehicle at the Badrinath helipad.
- May 17: An air ambulance crash-landed near Kedarnath after its tail hit the ground; all three onboard — a pilot, a doctor, and nursing staff — were unharmed.
