Uttarakhand Chopper Horror: 13 Mishaps, 27 Deaths In 10 Years

A chopper with six on board crashed in Uttarakhand's Joshimath on Friday. The pilot and the five passengers were killed in the crash. The chopper was flying to Dehradun from Badrinath when it crashed.

The crash has put spotlight on increasing number of helicopter accidents in Uttarakhand in the last decade.

Between 2016 and 2026, Uttarakhand has recorded at least 13 distinct helicopter incidents. This includes six major fatal crashes and seven non-fatal incidents. The non-fatal incidents include forced emergency landings resulting in injuries, technical forced landings or ground safety fatalities.

Last year, MoS, Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol had informed the Rajya Sabha that Uttarakhand accounted for seven of the 12 major chopper crashes reported nationwide between 2020 and 2025.

Of the 30 deaths in these incidents across India, 21 died in Uttarakhand alone. Maharashtra recorded four crashes with seven deaths, while Chhattisgarh saw one crash resulting in two casualties. The deaths on Friday take the figure to 27 in Uttarakhand.

Read | Chopper With 6 On Board Crashes In Uttarakhand, Confirms Chief Minister

The alarming figures have renewed concerns over aviation safety in the hill state, especially during the annual Char Dham yatra.

One of the deadliest crashes occurred in October 2022, when a helicopter ferrying pilgrims to Kedarnath crashed on a hill, killing all seven onboard.

Last year, two fatal crashes on May 8 in Uttarkashi and on June 15 near Kedarnath claimed 13 lives. These incidents were among five helicopter mishaps reported on the yatra route in just 45 days in 2025.

#UttarakhandHelicopterCrash | Uttarakhand: Chopper returning from Badrinath crashes near Joshimath; rescue operations underway for 6 on board NDTV's @VishnuNDTV speaks to Defence Expert Group Captain A Vinod (R), on chopper crash https://t.co/Wdo9joGSC1

— NDTV (@ndtv) October 30, 2026

Aviation experts have long urged stricter regulations, better weather forecasting, high-altitude pilot training and cap on operations during adverse conditions. With pilgrim numbers rising each year, they warn that without systemic change, Uttarakhand's skies will continue to bear a deadly burden.

As a precautionary measure, the entire fleet of M/s Trans Bharat Aviation Pvt Ltd has been grounded after the Friday crash, the state government statement said. 

State rescue teams and the Army have been deployed for the search and rescue operation.

All six passengers are male: Prathapa, Arun, Shankar Gowda, Sudheer K, HS Natraja and pilot Capt Himanshu.

"We have received the unfortunate news of a helicopter crash near Chayee village, close to Joshimath. A joint rescue operation is being conducted by the district administration, disaster management department, and SDRF," Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami posted on X.