Deadly Crash Claims Seven Lives in Uttarakhand Pilgrim Helicopter, Aryan Aviation Suspended

 June 16, 2025 – A tragic helicopter crash in Uttarakhand yesterday, Sunday, June 15th, claimed the lives of all seven people on board, including the pilot, raising fresh concerns about aviation safety on the popular Char Dham pilgrimage routes. The ill-fated chopper, belonging to Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd, was ferrying Hindu pilgrims from the revered Kedarnath temple to Guptkashi when it went down.

The incident occurred around 5:30 AM between Gaurikund and Trijuginarayan in the Kedarghati region. The Bell 407 helicopter (Registration VT-BKA) had taken off from Guptkashi at 5:10 AM, landed at Kedarnath at 5:18 AM, and departed again at 5:19 AM for its return journey to Guptkashi before crashing near Gaurikund. Preliminary indications suggest "Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT)" as the probable cause, with the helicopter reportedly airborne despite poor visibility and extensive clouding in the valley entry area.

The deceased have been identified as five pilgrims, a 23-month-old infant, and the pilot, Captain Rajbeer Singh Chauhan, an Indian Army veteran with over 15 years of experience. The passengers included Rajkumar Jaiswal, Shraddha Jaiswal, and their infant daughter Kashi Jaiswal, along with Tushti Singh, Vinod Negi, and Vikram Singh Rawat (a Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee staffer). All bodies were recovered from the charred wreckage of the aircraft by a swift response from SDRF, NDRF, police, and other rescue teams.

Following the devastating accident, India's Civil Aviation Ministry has taken immediate and stringent action. The operations of Aryan Aviation for the Char Dham Yatra have been suspended with immediate effect. As a precautionary measure, all charter and shuttle helicopter operations in the Kedarnath region have also been suspended for June 15 and 16, 2025.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed profound grief over the incident and announced a strict Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for helicopter services in the state. This SOP will mandate comprehensive technical checks of helicopters and accurate weather information before flights. He has also directed the Chief Secretary to form a committee of technical experts to review all safety aspects and investigate this and previous helicopter accidents. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will conduct a detailed probe into the crash.

This tragedy marks the fifth chopper-related incident along the Char Dham yatra route in the last six weeks, prompting serious questions about safety protocols in the treacherous Himalayan terrain. Earlier incidents included an emergency landing of a Kestrel Aviation helicopter due to a technical snag on June 7, and a crash near Gangnani en route to Gangotri on May 8 that killed six people.

The Civil Aviation Ministry has reiterated that aviation safety is "non-negotiable" and has instructed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to enforce all existing provisions with full authority. Licenses of two pilots from TransBharat Aviation have also been suspended for six months after their helicopters were found to be airborne under similarly unsuitable weather conditions during the same period.

As rescue operations conclude and investigations begin, authorities are emphasizing the paramount importance of strict adherence to safety norms to prevent such heartbreaking incidents on these vital pilgrimage routes.