Mumbai copter crash: 5 bodies found, one pilot from Panchkula

Mumbai, January 13

A Pawan Hans helicopter with seven persons on board, including five ONGC officials and two pilots, crashed off the Mumbai coast minutes after it took off for the state-owned company’s oil installation in the Arabian Sea today.

So far, five bodies have been recovered, the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation  said. The helicopter with five ONGC officials, including three of the level of Deputy General Manager, crashed 15 minutes after the take-off at 10.20 am. Coast Guard officials said the chopper was 50 km off Mumbai’s coast when the mishap took place. 

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Capt VC Katoch from Panchkula, an ex-Army Aviation Corps pilot, was one of the two pilots. The helicopter had three hours of fuel and had switched radio contact from the Juhu airfield to air traffic controller on board the ONGC oil rig a few minutes before it was lost. 

ONGC, Coast Guard and Navy pressed helicopters and speed boats into service as soon as news of the chopper going missing was received.

A Directorate General of Civil Aviation official said the crash would be probed by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. ONGC has key oil and gas fields off the Mumbai coast and Pawan Hans copters routinely ferry staff to the installations as far as 160 km from the coastline. — TNS & Agencies