[url="http://publication.samachar.com/topstorytopmast.php?sify_url=http://sify.com/news/air-force-chopper-crashes-ahead-of-demonstration-news-national-kc2tEcbjdcj.html"]Air force chopper (Sarang/ALH) crashes ahead of demonstration[/url]
[url="http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NEWS/newsrf.php?newsid=12458"]Dhruv helicopter crashlands while rehearsing for air show[/url]
Quote:2010-02-28 05:30:00
[size="2"][color="black"][size="2"][color="black"]Pokhran: [/color][/size][/color][/size]An advanced light helicopter (ALH) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) Sarang aerobatic display team crashed on Saturday, ahead of the firepower demonstration here, an IAF officer said on Sunday.
'The aircraft suddenly lost power and crashed after the pilot was unable to regain control,' the officer told IANS.
It crashed at the Jaisalmer airfield, about 50 km from the Pokhran ranges.
Both the pilot and the co-pilot of the helicopter were safe. A depleted three-helicopter Sarang team displayed its skills at Sunday's fire power show.
This is the second crash of a Sarang ALH in three years. The first happened ahead of the February 2007 AeroIndia International airshow in Bangalore.
[url="http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NEWS/newsrf.php?newsid=12458"]Dhruv helicopter crashlands while rehearsing for air show[/url]
Quote:PTI Saturday, February 27, 2010
New Delhi: An Advanced Light Helicopter 'Dhruv' of the Indian Air Force today crash-landed in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district while rehearsing for the 'Vayu Shakti' air power show to be held there tomorrow.
The helicopter was part of the Sarang Helicopter Display Team of the IAF and was rehearsing for tomorrow's air show, when the incident occurred, IAF officials said here.
"Both pilots are safe after they had to make a controlled crash-landing due to loss of power in the chopper," they added. The IAF has ordered a Court of Inquiry to look into the reasons behind the incident, the officials said.
In 2005, the entire ALH Dhruv fleet had been grounded for several months after a similar incident in Andhra Pradesh and the subsequent probe had found a fault with the tail rotor blades of the choppers.
On whether the display team comprising four ALH Dhruvs will take part in the air show tomorrow, for which the president and the defence minister are also coming, they said, "Sarang's participation is not yet cancelled."
This is the fifth incident involving the helicopter since 2004 when one of the choppers being operated by the Royal Nepal Army suffered a hard landing. In October 2009, an ALH Dhruv of the Ecuadorian Air Force crashed during display manoeuvres at the Mariscal Sucre International Airport there.
After the formation of Sarang team in 2003, this is the second accident involving its Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)-built Dhruv helicopters.
In the first incident on February 2, 2007, one of the choppers crashed in Bangalore killing its co-pilot during rehearsals before the Aero India show.
All the three Services along with the state governments operate the helicopter and it has been exported to various countries including Nepal, Ecuador, Mauritius, Maldives and Israel.