ATC received Mayday call prior to Army chopper's crash in Arunachal

Guwahati: Mayday call registered by ATC before an army helicopter crashed in Arunachal.

The Army's advanced light helicopter (ALH), which crashed on Friday in Arunachal Pradesh's Upper Siang district, is suspected to have experienced a mechanical breakdown.

According to defence sources, the Air Traffic Control had received a Mayday call just before the disaster, which would have indicated a mechanical or technical issue. According to the sources, this will be the main subject of the Court of Inquiry, which was initiated right after the tragedy, NIE reported.

"It is reported that the weather was good for flying operations. The pilots had more than 600 combined flying hours on ALH-WSI and over 1,800 service flying hours between them. The aircraft was inducted into service in June 2015," a defence statement said.

At 10:43 am, the helicopter carrying five people crashed at Migging, south of Tuting. The helicopter had taken off from Likabali in the state.

Soon after, joint teams from the Indian Army and Indian Air Force discovered the crash site. The terrain at the crash location is very difficult, according to defence officials. There are mountains with sharp inclinations and dense forest.

According to a representative for the Defense, the bodies of four missing personnel were found on Friday, and the body of the fifth was found on Saturday.

The names of the individuals would be made public after "notification" to the surviving family members, according to defence officials.

"The Indian Army offers deepest condolences and stands firmly with the bereaved families," the statement added.

This is the second time this month that an Army chopper has crashed in Arunachal. A Cheetah helicopter had crashed on October 5 in a forested area close to Tawang, killing one pilot and wounding another.