The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will investigate the Uttarakhand helicopter crash near JoshimathThe helicopter was on it way to Badrinath as part of the Char Dham Yatra.
Published: October 30, 2026, 9:27 PM IST
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Six people, including the pilot, died in the accidentPTI
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is set to probe the helicopter crash in Uttarakhand that killed six people on FridayAccording to news agency PTI, AAIB will probe the accident and that its team has already left for the site.
Six people, including the pilot, died in the accidentThe helicopter, operated by Trans Bharat Aviation, crashed into a hillside in Joshimath about an hour after it took off from Badrinath on its way to Dehradun.
The Badrinath temple is among the ‘char dhams’ in UttarakhandYamunotri, Gangotri, and Kedarnath are the other shrines that make up the Char Dham Yatra.
Karnataka CM Shivakumar says efforts on to bring victims’ bodies back
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday expressed grief over the deaths of five passengers from the state in the helicopter crash in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district and said the government was coordinating with Uttarakhand officials to bring their bodies back as soon as possible.
In a statement, Shivakumar said the news of the helicopter crashing near Joshimath while travelling from Badrinath to Dehradun had caused profound shock and griefThe accident killed six people, including the pilot from Delhi and five passengers from Karnataka.
Also Read | Badrinath helicopter crash: 5 chopper mishaps in Uttarakhand over the years that raise safety concerns
He said discussions were underway with Uttarakhand officials to facilitate the return of the victims’ bodies and added that the state government stood in solidarity with the bereaved families.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday expressed grief over the loss of six lives in the helicopter crash in Chamoli district and extended his condolences to the bereaved familiesDhami also directed officials to conduct a detailed investigation into the accident, stressing that all aspects of the crash must be examined thoroughly.
8 helicopter crashes
In an accident investigation report released earlier this month, AAIB said there were eight helicopter accidents in the Char Dham sector in 2015-2025, and most of them were due to the flight crew’s non-adherence to standard operating procedures.
An analysis of the data by AAIB showed that there were 9 occurrences, including 8 accidents and 1 serious incident, in the Char Dham sector during the ten-year period, with at least 1 accident or serious incident every year from 2022 onwards.
“Out of these 8 accidents, 5 accidents were fatalThere was no accident in 2015 & 2016, as the Char Dham operations during that time were very limited“From the year 2017 to 2019, there were 2 accidents, out of which 1 was fatalIn the years 2020 & 2021, the operations were very limited owing to COVID-19 protocols and no accidents were reported during this period,” AAIB said in its final report on the helicopter crash in Uttarakhand that killed 7 people in June last year.
