Indias Dhruv crashes in Ecuador

In a major embarrassment for India,an indigenously developed helicopter that was sold to Ecuador earlier this year crashed at the military day parade of the country,seriously injuring two pilots....

In a major embarrassment for India,an indigenously developed helicopter that was sold to Ecuador earlier this year crashed at the military day parade of the country,seriously injuring two pilots.

While India is now rushing in experts to probe the cause of the crash - the helicopter was one of the seven brand new Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH),called Dhruv,transferred in February this year Ecuador has grounded its fleet of the aircraft. Ecuador President Rafael Correa,too,uses the ALH for his travel.

Sources said that while experts are being sent in to Ecuador,the Indian fleet of close to 70 helicopters has not yet been grounded and the Armed Forces are waiting for a more detailed report before taking a call on the matter.

Story continues below this ad

According to reports reaching here,the helicopter was part of a three aircraft formation taking part in the military day parade when it crashed after an apparent fire or malfunction in the tail rotor.

It may be recalled that the ALH fleet had been grounded for several months in 2005 after a similar crash landing in India. The subsequent probe found a fault with the tail rotor blades of the choppers and the parts were replaced.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL),which manufactures the choppers,are keeping a tight lid on the affair but has said that a team is looking into the crash. We have a team stationed in Ecuador since the choppers were transferred. It is now looking into the reasons behind the crash, HAL spokesperson Ananth Krishnan told this newspaper.

Officials in the Indian defence establishment,who are watching the crash keenly as the three forces operate the chopper in various roles,said it would be too early to draw connections between the 2005 grounding and the crash in Ecuador.

Story continues below this ad

We will wait for a few more days to get some more leads before deciding on whether entire fleet should be inspected for faults, a defence official said.

The crash will dent Indias export plans for the helicopter,considering that Ecuador was the first major foreign customer for the chopper when it ordered seven aircraft for $ 50 million in 2008. The choppers were transferred in a grand ceremony by Defence Minister A K Antony at the Aero India show in February. The other countries that fly the helicopter are Nepal and Israel. HAL had also recently secured a contract from Turkey and Suriname to supply three helicopters.

This is the fourth incident involving the helicopter since 2004 when one of the choppers being operated by the Royal Nepal Army suffered a hard landing. In 2005,an ALH that was being ferried to Jharkhand crashed while the IAF lost one pilot in a crash in 2007.

Tags:
Ecuador

Trump hikes H-1B visa fees to $100,000 a year in massive immigration overhaul

India14 min ago

President Trump has signed a proclamation increasing the H-1B visa fee to USD 100,000 per year in an effort to prevent abuse of the visa system. This will affect skilled Indian professionals, who make up the majority of H-1B visa recipients. The goal is to protect American workers while still allowing companies to hire qualified individuals.

View all shorts

Live Blog