Coast Guard helicopter crashes in sea, search on for missing pilot

Ahmedabad: A tragic accident struck the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) when an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) MK-III, bearing frame number CG 863, crashed into the sea during a medical evacuation mission.

On the night of September 2, the helicopter was responding to an emergency call to airlift a seriously injured crew member from the Motor Tanker Hari Leela at 11.15 p.m.

The search efforts, spearheaded by the ICG, have been intensified with the involvement of the Indian Navy and other marine stakeholders. The fuselage of the downed helicopter is also sought to facilitate an investigation into the incident.

“We are deploying two aircraft and four ships for an intensive search operation. We have requested the Indian Navy's assistance, with a vessel equipped with side-scan sonar technology expected to join the mission soon,” officials shared.

When it went down, the helicopter had four personnel on board—two pilots and two aircrew divers. The ICG launched a large-scale search and rescue operation in the aftermath of the crash. One crew member has been found and rescued, while two others did not survive. Their remains have been recovered from the sea, and a cremation with military honours is to be conducted as per service traditions.

The dead have been identified as Commandant (Junior Grade) Vipin Babu and Pradhan Navik Karan Singh. A formal board of inquiry has been established to investigate the cause of the crash. The mortal remains of Commandant Babu, from Alappuzha, Kerala, and Pradhan Navik Karan Singh, from Jhajjar, Haryana, have been returned to their families for last rites.

Search operations are still ongoing to locate Commandant Rakesh Kumar Rana, TM, who was the helicopter's pilot at the time of the crash.

Side-scan sonar systems help create images of large seafloor areas, enabling the detection of submerged objects. The Coast Guard has also sought support from the Gujarat Fisheries Department and local fishermen to aid the search.