Video: Helicopter makes emergency landing on Uttarakhand road, tail crushes car

A private helicopter made an emergency hard landing in the middle of the road in Guptkashi, Uttarakhand on Saturday afternoon due to a technical malfunction shortly after take off. The tail of the chopper crushed a car on the road. All five passengers on board were unharmed, while the pilot sustained minor injuries and was taken to the hospital with complaints of backache.

The incident occurred around 12:52 pm, as the helicopter was en route to Kedarnath Dham with five passengers on board.

During takeoff, the pilot, Captain RPS Sodhi, reported a suspected issue with the collective control getting stuck. Demonstrating prompt judgement, Captain Sodhi executed a controlled force landing on the road just below the helipad, avoiding what could have been a serious accident.

District Tourism Development Officer and Heli Service Nodal Officer Rahul Chaubey confirmed the incident, saying, “Krestel Aviation Private Limited’s helicopter was taking off from its Badasu base to Shri Kedarnath Dham with five passengers when it developed a technical fault. The pilot identified the issue in time and made an emergency landing on a nearby vacant road.”

The helicopter’s hard landing caused damage to a vehicle parked on the roadside, but the situation was quickly brought under control. “The alertness of the pilot averted a major mishap,” officials said.

Responding swiftly, the local administration dispatched a team to the site and had the helicopter removed from the road, ensuring smooth flow of traffic. Heli shuttle operations in the region remain unaffected by the incident.