3 ONGC staffers among 4 die in helicopter crash

New Delhi, June 28

Tragedy struck the state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on Tuesday as four persons, including three of its employees, lost their lives when a brand new Sikorsky helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea, 50 nautical miles from the Mumbai coast.

Previous incidents

January 2018 Pawan Hans helicopter with 7 onboard crashes off Mumbai coast

August 2003 Mi-172 helicopter crashes off Mumbai coast, killing 27

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April 2003 Bell 412 helicopter ferrying ONGC personnel crashes at Juhu aerodrome

2002 Dauphin helicopter hired by ONGC crashes into sea, all 10 flyers rescued

The deceased were identified as Mukesh Kumar Patel, executive engineer (electrical), Vijay Mandloi, executive engineer (mechanical) and Satayambad Patra, geologist. Sanju Francis, who too died in the mishap, worked for a private contractor.

The helicopter was about 4-5 minutes away from its destination — ONGC’s Sagar Kiran rig — when the incident took place, company officials said. The copter went down around 1145 hours, but managed to stay afloat with the help of the attached floaters, helping rescuers pull out all nine, including two pilots, after ONGC and Navy/Coast Guard scrambled in one of the fastest rescue missions in the western offshore. Four of the nine pulled out were unconscious and airlifted in a Navy chopper to a hospital in Mumbai, where they were declared dead.

ONGC has already instituted an inquiry. The DGCA is also likely to order a separate inquiry.