An Indian Air Force helicopter, which was air-dropping relief supplies, made a forced landing in Bihar.
An official reported that a major accident was avoided because the pilot demonstrated quick thinking and landed in shallow water after the engine failed.
Arpit Pattnaik
An Indian Air Force helicopter air-dropping relief material in flood-hit Bihar made a forced landing this afternoon. All four IAF personnel on board, including two officers, were rescued.
The helicopter, which took off from Darbhanga Air Force base, made the forced landing in Naya Gaon, Muzaffarpur. After it landed, a portion of the chopper was submerged in floodwaters.
"A major accident was averted because of the pilot's presence of mind," said Pratyaya Amrit, Principal Secretary of the disaster management department. When the engine failed, the pilot ensured that the helicopter landed in shallow waters with no people around, he said.
The personnel have been taken to a hospital, said Mr. Amrit, adding that the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) began rescue operations as soon as the crash was reported. The initial rescue was done by residents of the area.
The helicopter was an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH)-Dhruv, which is used by the Indian Air Force, Army, and Navy. The fleets of these helicopters were recently grounded twice because of technical concerns over certain components.
Earlier on Wednesday, two pilots and an engineer died after a helicopter crashed in Pune. The chopper, which belonged to Delhi-based firm Heritage Aviation, was headed to Mumbai, and police said dense fog may have led to the crash, but the actual cause is still being established.
