Navy helicopter makes precautionary landing

Lands at temple ground near Thuravoor

Grounded: Chetak helicopter of Southern Naval Command which made a precautionary landing at Chammanad Devi Temple ground near Thuravoor on Wednesday.

A Chetak helicopter of the Southern Naval Command, IN 429, which was carrying out a routine flight, made a precautionary landing at the Chammanad Devi temple ground near Thuravoor here on Wednesday.

According to officials, the chopper, carrying two pilots, landed safely near National Highway 66 following a ‘discrepancy in engine parameters.’ The aircraft has not suffered any damage.

Standard procedure

“The pilots made the landing as required by the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the helicopter. A technical team has been sent to the site for investigation,” said an official.

The initial attempt to take the copter back to Kochi by road failed.

“The helicopter was taken to the National Highway around 5 p.m. However, the attempt to load it onto a trailer truck with the help of a crane failed as width of the truck was not sufficient enough. The Navy team is awaiting the arrival of another truck,” sources said.