Army chopper makes emergency landing; residents panic

BENGALURU: Residents near Talaghattapura, south Benglauru, panicked after a helicopter from the Army Aviation Corps made an emergency landing in the agricultural fields dotting the area on Tuesday. The crew was safe and a support team later flew back the chopper.
Rudra MK4, the armed helicopter with Indian Army, made the emergency landing around 11am. Police officials and fire officials rushed to the spot.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) said according to available information, it was a precautionary landing. An HAL technical team was airlifted and reached the site near Bannerghatta to provide support. The chopper was later flown back, an HAL spokesperson said.

While sources said possible hydraulic failure led to the emergency landing, the ministry of defence was yet to respond. The emergency landing comes four days after a Mirage 2000 crashed after taking off from HAL Airport, killing two pilots.

Rudra is manufactured by HAL for the Indian Army and is equipped with Weapon System Integrated MK IV variant of Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH). It is the first armed helicopter produced indigenously in India.

MP: Make HAL more capable, accountable

Member of Parliament Rajeev Chandrashekar has demanded that modernization of combat flights shouldn’t be obstructed only to score political points as it would put young aviators at risk.

“Regardless of the outcome of the court of inquiry, we owe it to the families of the many IAF warriors who have lost their lives in these test air crashes to take measures that focus on ensuring that HAL is more technologically capable, accountable and responsive for its products and services to men and women of IAF, Indian Navy and Indian Army who fly them,” the MP said.

Two young IAF pilots, 33-year-old Squadron Leader Samir Abrol and 31-year-old Squadron Leader Siddhartha Negi, were killed in the crash.