62% chopper accidents due to human error: Parrikar

Tribune News service

New Delhi, March 3 

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tursday cited human error as major cause of helicopter accidents. 

Replying to a question in Rajya Sabha on the number of helicopter accidents, Parrikar said 62 per cent of the helicopter accidents were due to human error. 

He rejected the use of word "flying coffins" to the helicopters being flown in the country. 

Parrikar informed the government was in process of acquiring around 380 new choppers. 

According to the minister, the HAL was also manufacturing the attack version of Dhruv helicopter -the advance lightweight aircraft or the ALH. 

It is called the Rudra, he said. 

He said the number of accidents, which was one per every 10,000 flying hours around 24 years back, was now down to around 0.33 per 10,000 flying hours.