Lok Sabha Question No. 1897 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-10
Subject: Helicopter Crashes
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: ANTO  ANTONY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION LOK SABHA

(To be answered on the December 2015) 1oth

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.\_ 8

## HELICOPTER CRASHES

1897.

SHRI ANTO ANTONY

Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

1897

be pleased to state:-

- (a) whether the Government has any record regarding the number of Pawan Hans helicopter crashes occurred in the country during each of the last three years and the current year;
- (c) whether there are mo whereabouts of a Pawan Hans Pilot after a helicopter crash occurred im the oil and gas field of ONGC in the Mumbai offshore;
- (b) if s0, the details thereof;
- (d) if s0, the details thereof and the steps being taken by the Government to trace him; and
- (e) whether the Government is concerned about the frequent crashes of the Pawan Hans helicopters in the country and if s0, the remedial steps being taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION

(Dr Mahesh Sharma)

- (a) & (b) Five accidents of helicopters belonging to Mls Pawan Hans Ltd: have taken in the country during the years 2012 to 2015 (till November 2015). Details of the accidents are placed as annexure: place
- (c) & (d) In the helicopter accident on 4.11.2015 in the ONGC offshore gas field, 02 most experienced pilot had been flying the helicopter: While body of Capt: T.K: Guha was recovered on 9.11.2015, the body of Capt: E: Samuel could not be traced inspite of 24x7 search & rescue operations for 14 days by Indian Indian Coast Guard; ONGC and Pawan Hans Based on circumstantial evidence; Capt. E. Samuel has been presumed to be dead by the State Police. Navy,
- (e) Yes Madam: The pilots of Pawan Hans are mostly taken from Defence Forces and are trained per Directorate General of Civil Aviation they

Rules ;  For offshore helicopter operations Pawan Hans is also complying with given training 0 Simglator at France; Russia; HATSOFF at Bangalore The Instrument of Pilots is also carried out by Directorate General of Civil Aviation(DGCA) approved examiners. Periodic Safety Audit 0f the bases is conducted as per DGCA Guidelines. Further , the following remedial measures have been taken to improve safety by Pawan Hans Ltd, are as under:Rating

- i) Pawan Hans has undertaken Safety Initiatives by implementing Safety Management System (SMS) for its operations and maintenance activities as per DGCA guidelines and has already implemented two phases of SMS out of four:
2. iv) Third Party Safety Audit has been introduced in the Company:
3. ii) Pawan Hans has taken steps to introduce Flight Operations Quality Assurance(FOQA) system in its operations to analyze and monitor (Cockpit Voice Recorder(CVR) and Flight Data Recorder(FDR) data of helicopters. iii) Safety of the company has also been revised to include Safety as a core activity with 'Zero Telerance in Safety' as Company Policy. Policy
4. v Pawan Hans has decided to phase out more than 28 years oid Dauphin N helicopters fleet '

=

.

'

## Details of Pawan Hans Helicopters Accidents in the years 2012-2014 and 2015 (November 2015)

| S No.     | Date of Occurrence .   | Place of Occurrence   | Type and registration of aircraft   | Manufacturer                | Details of the Accident                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
|-----------|------------------------|-----------------------|-------------------------------------|-----------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1_        | 30.12.2012             | . Near Katra Jek      | Beli 407 VT-PHH                     | Bell Helicopter Textron USA | The helicopter carried out an emergency landing on a river bed at Katra due power loss. On ground fire signs were observed. The main and tail rotor blades of the helicopter were damaged including Tail boom                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| Year 2013 | Year 2013              | Year 2013             | Year 2013                           | Year 2013                   | Year 2013                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| 1_        | 28.06.2013             | Harsil Uttrakhand     | Dauphin N3 VT-PHZ                   | Eurocopter: France;         | PIC while: carrying out approach and landing under strong tail wind   conditions, could not control the high rate of descend with the available reserve power (Max collective power): The helicopter   entering into vortex state, becoming uncontrollable which eventually resulted into the heavy landing  accident: Deployment of cockpit crew to operate in hillylmountainous ' terrain by PHL operations without requisite hill flying training/recurrent training is a contributory factor to the accident  No casualty: ring |

| Year 2014 NIL   | Year 2014 NIL   | Year 2014 NIL             | Year 2014 NIL       | Year 2014 NIL     | Year 2014 NIL                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|-----------------|-----------------|---------------------------|---------------------|-------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Year 2015       | Year 2015       | Year 2015                 | Year 2015           | Year 2015         | Year 2015                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| 1_              | 04.08.2015      | Khonsa, Arunachal Pradesh | Dauphin N3 VT-PHK . | Eurocopter France | The helicopter was scheduled to operate flight Dibrugarh- Khonsa-Longding-ChanglangDibrugarh The helicopter started up at Dibrugarh at 0421 UTC and took off at 0425 UTC for Khonsa under Special VFR. Subsequent after the helicopter informed ATC Dibrugarh ETA Khonsa 0447 UTC and changed over to Chabua ATC at 0429 UTC. At 0457 UTC the pilot of VT-PHK informed ATC Chabua that airborne from Khonsa and climbing to 4500 ft and estimating Longding at 0508  UTC. At 0508 UTC ATC Chabua called up to VT-PHK but did not any reply: Subsequently search and rescue operations  started: On 13.08.2015, the helicopter was located and bodies were recovered from the crash site they got get |
| 2.              | 04.11.2015      | Mumbai (Offshore)         | Dauphin N3 VT-PWF   | Eurocopter France | The   helicopter was operating a training  flight for  night recency of Capt. Tarun Kanti Guha: Helicopter took off from rig "WIS" at 07:15PM IST. While landing at "RONTAP MEYER" it met with an accident After impact ELT has triggered. Search and Rescue was carried out by Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy: The Cockpit door has been found at the last known positon of helicopter i.e. 19 16 N and 71deg and 27E around 77 NM. Deg                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| 3               | 24.11.2015      | Melluri; Nagaland         | Dauphin N VT-ELJ    | Eurocopter France | Helicopter just_ after took-off from dimapur with 4 passengers onboard and just after 35 minutes of flight the helicopter made a crash landing: Helicopter rear portion cought fire due impact:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |