Kochi: A Navy official was killed after a Chetak helicopter crashed on Saturday at the runway of the naval air station, INS Garuda in Kerala's Kochi. The Indian Navy chopper which was on a training flight, crashed soon after the lift-off, sources said.
The pilot was seriously injured in the incident. According to sources, the incident took place around 2.30 pm. The helicopter that can seat seven had two persons on board at the time of the incident. It was on a routine training flight. The helicopter took off from the naval Headquarters Airport and crashed on the runway. The helicopter was about to be decommissioned.
Navy Officials and Kochi Harbour Police are at the spot. The injured is undergoing treatment at a Naval base hospital here. "A Chetak helicopter met with a ground accident today during maintenance taxi checks at INS Garuda, Kochi, resulting in the unfortunate loss of life of one ground crew. A Board of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of the accident," the Indian Navy spokesperson said.
In May this year, an Indian army helicopter made a "hard landing" in Kashmir killing one person and injuring two pilots on board. Prior to that in March, a pilot and co-pilot were killed after the Indian Army's Cheetah Helicopter crashed in Arunachal Pradesh.
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