The following are some major accidents involving tourists along Char Dham routes since 2017:

June 10, 2017: An Agusta AW119 MK II, VT-NRK helicopter operated by Kestrel Aviation Pvt Ltd crashed onto sloping terrain near Badrinath helipad shortly after take-off while operating on the Badrinath-Haridwar sector of the Char Dham circuit. One aircraft maintenance engineer died; two pilots sustained minor injuries. Five pilgrims onboard escaped without injury.

October 18, 2022: Aircraft: Bell 407, VT-RPN helicopter operated by Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd crashed into a mountain ridge at Garud Chatti shortly after taking off from Kedarnath for Guptkashi as part of passenger shuttle service. Deteriorating weather and descending clouds were reported. All seven occupants, comprising one pilot and six passengers, died.

May 8, 2025: Bell 407, VT-OXF helicopter operated by Aero Trans Services Pvt Ltd crashed into a gorge near Gangnani in Uttarkashi district while operating a Char Dham passenger service. The main rotor struck an overhead fibre-optic cable as the pilot attempted to descend towards the highway. Six people, including the pilot, died; one passenger survived with serious injuries.

June 7, 2025: A Leonardo AW119 MK II, VT-RNK helicopter operated by Kestrel Aviation Pvt Ltd lost height shortly after taking off from the elevated Sersi helipad in Rudraprayag for Kedarnath with five passengers. Its tail rotor struck the edge of the helipad and the aircraft crash-landed on the road below, damaging nearby property. No passenger fatalities; the pilot sustained injuries.

June 15, 2025: Bell 407, VT-BKA helicopter operated by Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd crashed near Gaurikund in Rudraprayag while operating a Kedarnath-Guptkashi passenger shuttle service. It encountered extensive cloud cover and poor visibility near the valley exit. All seven occupants, including the pilot, five passengers and an infant, died.

-PTI

Helicopter belonging to M/S Transbharat Aviation Pvt Ltd crashes at Joshimath in Uttarakhand

On 30 Oct 2026 a helicopter being operated by M/S Transbharat Aviation Pvt Ltd bearing registration VT-HCX (type AS350B3) was involved in an accident and crashed in the forest area near Chai village (Joshimath).

The helicopter got airborne from Badrinath helipad at 1314 hrs and was enroute to Sahastradhara helipad (Dehradun) with one pilot and five passengers onboard. The wreckage of the crash has been located and the search and rescue operations are under progress.

A team from Directorate General of Civil Aviation has been dispatched to Dehradun for conducting the preliminary/regulatory assessment into this accident.

All six people, including pilot, on board Uttarakhand chopper killed in crash.

Teams from the Indian Army, SDRF, and Police have reached the location and are carrying out rescue operations.

A Karnataka police inspector, identified as Arun, was on board the helicopter that crashed in Uttarakhand. 

All 5 passengers on crashed Uttarakhand chopper are from Bengaluru, say sources. 

Here are the details of the persons on board:

Pilot:  

Captain Himanshu   

Passengers:   

Prathapa (Male)   
Arun (Male)   
Shankar Gowda (Male)   
Sudheer K (Male)   
HS Natraja (Male)

The Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority has confirmed that the helicopter was carrying six people, including the pilot.

The Dehradun-bound helicopter took off from Badrinath around 1:14 PM, it said.

The helicopter, owned by a private company, Trans Bharat Aviation Pvt, and bearing call sign VT-HCX, lost communication when it was flying over Joshimath valley, it said.

"At the same time, the tracking system could no longer track the helicopter, and its current location has not been ascertained yet," it said in a statement.

It was immediately not clear whether the weather played any part in the crash, but the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued an 'orange' alert for Chamoli district for today, forecasting thunderstorms, hail and gusty winds accompanied by heavy rainfall.

Over the past decade, Uttarakhand has recorded at least 12 distinct helicopter incidents, comprising five major fatal crashes and seven non-fatal incidents. These include forced emergency landings resulting in injuries, technical forced landings, or ground safety fatalities.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has confirmed that the helicopter has crashed.

"We have received the unfortunate news of a helicopter crash near the Chaien village, close to Joshimath. A joint rescue operation is being conducted by the district administration, disaster management department, and SDRF," he wrote in Hindi on X.

He said he is continuously monitoring the entire incident.

"Instructions have been given to immediately airlift the seriously injured to higher centers for better treatment. I pray to God for the safe return of the passengers," Dhami said.

चाई गांव, जोशीमठ के निकट हेलीकॉप्टर क्रैश होने की दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण सूचना प्राप्त हुई है। जिला प्रशासन, आपदा प्रबंधन विभाग, एसडीआरएफ द्वारा संयुक्त रूप से रेस्क्यू ऑपरेशन चलाया जा रहा है। स्वयं भी पूरे घटनाक्रम की निरंतर निगरानी कर रहा हूं। गंभीर रूप से घायलों को तत्काल एयरलिफ्ट कर बेहतर उपचार हेतु हायर सेंटर पहुंचाने के निर्देश दिए हैं। ईश्वर से यात्रियों के सकुशल होने की कामना करता हूं।

— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) October 30, 2026

The helicopter reportedly took off from Badrinath around 2:15 PM amid snowfall and lost contact near the Hathi Parvat area.

A helicopter carrying six people has gone missing on the Joshimath-Badrinath route in Uttarakhand's Chamoli.