Madhya Pradesh: IAF aircraft makes emergency landing in Bhopal, all 6 persons on board safe

According to IAF, the crew is safe and a team is on the way to look into the technical issues. "The pilot and the five crew members are safe," said Berasia police station inspector Narendra Kulaste, who was at the spot.

Bhopal: An Advanced Light Helicopter, Dhruv of the Indian Air Force (IAF) with six persons on board made an "emergency" landing at a village in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal on Sunday due to a technical snag.

According to IAF, the crew is safe and a team is on the way to look into the technical issues. "The pilot and the five crew members are safe," news agency PTI quoted Berasia police station inspector Narendra Kulaste, who was at the spot.

The incident took place at around 8.45 am, he said. The aircraft, of IAF's III HU unit, made the "emergency" landing in a sugarcane field near a lake in Dungariya village, nearly 60 km from the Bhopal district headquarters, the officer said.

The aircraft, on its way to Jhansi from Bhopal, developed a technical fault, he said. A team of the IAF has reached the site to fix the technical problem. Another team of technicians is expected to reach Dungariya village from Nagpur shortly, he added.

According to Hindustan Aeronautic Limited, the indigenously designed and developed Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH-DHRUV) is a twin-engine, multi-role, multi-mission new generation helicopter in the 5.5-ton weight class. The basic Helicopter is produced in the skid version and wheeled version. Dhruv is “type –Certified” for Military operations by the Centre for Military Airworthiness Certification (CEMILAC) and for civil operations by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).