3 persons killed as helicopter crashes in Pune

Preliminary information suggested the deceased comprised two pilots and an engineer

A helicopter crashed in the Bavdhan area of Maharashtra’s Pune district on Wednesday (October 2, 2024) morning around 7.00 A.M. Pimpri Chinchwad Police confirmed that three people were killed in the chopper crash. 

The helicopter, belonging to a Delhi-based private aviation firm, took off from the Oxford Golf Course helipad here and was heading to Juhu in Mumbai, an official said. It crashed near the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL).

Speaking to The Hindu, Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissioner Vinoykumar Choubey, said, “The technical reason behind the crash is yet to be ascertained but as per primary information, this region experienced heavy fog this morning.” Commissioner Choubey pointed out the privately owned chopper was taking off the Juhu from Oxford Golf Course resort. 

Preliminary information suggested the deceased comprised two pilots and an engineer, as per officials. The deceased identified are Captain Girish Kumar Pillai, Captain Pritamchand Bhardwaj and Captain Paramjit Singh. 

Kumar (53) was a pilot from Andhra Pradesh, Singh (64) from Delhi, and Bhardwaj (56) was an engineer from Navi Mumbai.

The deceased will be taken to Sassoon hospital for autopsy.

“The chopper is badly damaged, however, our teams have responded and the fire is controlled,” Mr. Choubey added.

A case of accidental death will be registered at Hinjewadi Police Station. A team from Delhi will arrive to conduct a technical investigation into the accident and the police are searching for the black box (flight data recorder).

(With inputs from PTI)

Published - October 02, 2024 09:50 am IST