Indian Coast Guard Helicopter Lost During Evacuation from Tanker

The Indian Coast Guard is reporting a fatal outcome after one of its helicopters performed an emergency evacuation of an injured crewmember from a tanker in the Arabian Sea on Monday night. The aircraft was forced to ditch in the Arabian Sea and reported a difficult landing. It later sunk.

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According to initial reports, one crewmember had been found, while three others were reported missing. The Coast Guard stated that four ships and two planes had been despatched to assist with the rescue mission. The airplane wreckage has been identified, and two bodies were recovered late Tuesday. One crew member is still missing.

The disappearance began Monday night at 2300. The ICG Advanced Light Helicopter was ordered to evacuate onboard the MT Hari Leela, an Indian-flagged chemical tanker (45,683 DWT). The sailboat was located off the northwest coast of India, in the Gujarat area. The tanker was around 30 miles from the shore.

The Gujarat area has been on high alert for cyclonic weather conditions. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a warning on Monday that Tropical Cyclone Asna will make landfall in Gujarat’s peninsula. Cyclone Asna had been rotating in the Arabian Sea during the weekend, but its influence on the Indian shoreline had decreased as it moved southwestward towards Oman.

The reason for the helicopter’s emergency landing in the water has yet to be determined. The Indian Coast Guard reported evacuating 67 individuals during the severe weather events in Gujarat earlier this week. On August 26, the IGC conducted another difficult midnight search and rescue for the MV ITT Puma. They were able to find and rescue 11 crew members before the cargo ship sank around 90 nautical miles south of Sagar Island in West Bengal. The IGC was still searching for three missing crew members from the vessel.

The domestically manufactured ALH Dhruv helicopters, which are extensively utilized by the ICG and military, have previously raised safety concerns due to a series of incidents. This resulted in the fleet being grounded for many weeks last year. The Center for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) requested a design assessment, focusing on the control rods, to enhance ALH’s airworthiness. An expert committee studying a naval ALH ditching event in the Arabian Sea on March 8 discovered the control rod to be a potential failure. The design assessment was completed in October, and the ALH helicopters received an updated control system.