An Indian Coast Guard helicopter made an emergency landing near Murud in the Raigad district on Saturday afternoon.
According to Coast Guard officials, the Chetak helicopter was on a routine surveillance sortie with four crew members on board. It made the emergency landing at around 2:40 pm near the Nandgaon beach in Murud.
“Preliminary information indicates that the crew experienced technical difficulties 25 minutes after taking off. The pilot, Deputy Commandant Balwinder Singh, not only managed to save the helicopter from total damage but also avoided landing in populated or crowded places, or at sea,” a Coast Guard officer said.
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The crew then informed their superiors about the incident, and was evacuated by the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. Defence officials said the Navy sent two Chetak helicopters and one Seaking C helicopter. One Chetak helicopter from the Coast Guard and an Air Force MI 17 helicopter were also despatched as part of the search and rescue mission.
“The crew members were located and flown to the INHS Ashvini Naval Hospital, where one of them, Assistant Commandant Penny Chaudhary, is currently being treated for her injuries. The others suffered only minor injuries,” a Defence spokesperson said.
Coast Guard officials said Assistant Commandant Chaudhary suffered internal bleeding and was under observation.
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Meanwhile, officials said the helicopter itself had not suffered major damage. “The machinery is intact. The tail rotor is slightly bent and the right wheel has broken off,” the Coast Guard officer said.
A probe is under way to find out what might have caused the technical glitch, officials said.
The Chetak is a two-ton seven-seater helicopter and is used for multiple purposes like transport, casualty evacuation, search and rescue operations, aerial survey and patrolling, emergency medical services and off shore operations by forces like the Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy.