Pawan Hans helicopter crash in Andamans: all seven rescued
Pawan Hans helicopter crash in Andamans: all seven rescued
Seven people aboard a Pawan Hans helicopter were rescued after it ditched into shallow waters near Maya Bunder, Andaman Islands, following a suspected technical snag.
A Pawan Hans helicopter carrying seven people ditched into the shallow waters near Maya Bunder in the Middle Andaman during a routine hop from Rangat to Maya Bunder, after stopping at Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair). The aircraft, a PHL Dauphin N3 with registration VT PHY, had taken off from Rangat around 9:10 am and was en route to Maya Bunder when trouble arose, with the crash occurring about 9:30 am roughly 300 meters short of the Maya Bunder helipad.
All seven on board — five passengers and two crew members, including the pilot — were safely retrieved. A senior civil aviation official indicated that an initial probe pointed to a technical snag as the likely cause for the emergency landing in the sea.
Pawan Hans Ltd, a central public sector undertaking based in Noida, said the helicopter landed at Rangat around 9:05 am, took off again at 9:10 am, and then ditched near Maya Bunder. The incident underscores the importance of swift search-and-rescue operations and ongoing safety checks in aviation, especially in remote island zones like the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Officials said a formal investigation will determine the exact cause and necessary safety measures to prevent recurrence. Weather conditions and maintenance records will be reviewed as part of the inquiry.
