Joshimath, Oct 30: All six individuals on board a Trans Bharat Aviation helicopter were killed after the aircraft crashed in Chamoli district during a flight from Badrinath to Dehradun on Friday.
The deceased have been identified as pilot Capt Himanshu and passengers Prathapa, Arun, Shankar Gowda, Sudheer K, and H S Natraja. Officials confirmed that the aircraft, bearing call sign VT-HCX, lost communication over the Joshimath valley shortly after taking off at 1:14 pm bound for Sahastradhara helipad.
An Indian Army Signal Centre team spotted smoke rising from the aircraft and witnessed its rapid descent, enabling search units from the Army, State Disaster Response Force, and local administration to reach the crash zone near Chayee village. As a precautionary measure, state aviation regulators grounded the entire fleet of Trans Bharat Aviation.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami affirmed that the state disaster management machinery monitored the emergency response directly throughout the day. Official aviation metrics indicate that Uttarakhand has accounted for seven of the twelve helicopter crashes reported across India between 2020 and 2025, claiming 21 lives in total.
