Coast Guard helicopter crashes in India

Three people died as a result of the crash of a HAL Dhruv helicopter of the Indian Coast Guard in Porbandar, northwestern India.

The Hindustan Times reported on this.

The incident took place on January 5, 2024, at 12:10 p.m. local time, when a HAL Dhruv helicopter of the Coast Guard, returning from a regular flight, crashed while trying to land on the runway of the Coast Guard airport.

According to official information, the helicopter experienced technical problems that caused the crash. Three people, including two pilots, were on board.

In 2024, the fleet of these helicopters was banned from use several times due to accidents caused by design problems, which raised questions about their safety.

In particular, in September 2024, a Dhruv helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea near the city of Porbandar. The helicopter was on a mission to medically evacuate a seriously injured crew member of the Indian-flagged tanker Hari Leela, about 45 km from Porbandar.

In response to this incident, the Coast Guard ordered a one-time safety inspection of its HAL Dhruv fleet, focusing on the flight control system. After that, it was expected that the modernization of the control system would improve their airworthiness.

In November 2024, a MiG-29 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force crashed in India during a training flight.

The crash occurred during a training flight due to a technical malfunction, representatives of the Indian Air Force and the Ministry of Defense told the publication.

“An Indian Air Force MiG-29 aircraft crashed today near Agra during a routine training flight after encountering a system malfunction. The pilot performed a maneuver to avoid causing damage to life or property on the ground before ejecting safely. The Air Force has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident,” the Indian Air Force reported.

This aircraft is the second MiG-29 of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to crash in the fall of 2024. The previous crash occurred in early September 2024.

Then, the MiG-29 fighter jet crashed near Barmer in Rajasthan, also during a training flight.