3 die in chopper crash

Two former Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots and an engineer were killed after a helicopter belonging to a Delhi-based private company, Heritage Aviation, crashed and caught fire near Pune city this morning.

The chopper took off from Oxford County Golf Course helipad near Pune and was heading to Juhu in Mumbai when it crashed at 7.40 am. The crash took place near a hilly terrain in Bavdhan area.

The deceased were identified as pilot Paramjeet Singh (62), co-pilot GK Pillai (57), both retired from the IAF; and aircraft maintenance engineer Pritam Kumar Bhardwaj (53), the police said.

An official from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the it was an Agusta 109 helicopter. After the crash, the chopper caught fire, the police said, adding that fire tenders and water tankers were rushed to the spot.

Pimpri Chinchwad Joint Commissioner of Police Shashikant Mahavarkar said primary information suggested fog led to the accident but a detailed investigation will ascertain the exact cause.

The NCP, which had hired the chopper, said its Maharashtra unit chief Sunil Tatkare had flown in the helicopter only a day before, and was supposed to travel by it again on Wednesday.