Defence officials said on Saturday that operations of the ALH Dhruv choppers have been halted as a precautionary measure "in view of the crash in which one Army jawan lost his life on May 4." The choppers had been grounded for more than a month after two accidents involving helicopters of the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard.
An ALH Dhruv with three people on board crashed following a "hard landing" in Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. A technician was killed and two pilots were injured in the incident.
As a precautionary measure, the ALH Dhruv fleet has been temporarily grounded, the sources said. The Navy and the Coast Guard had grounded their respective ALH Dhruv fleets in March following two similar incidents involving the platform.
The sources said the ALH Dhruv choppers with the Navy and the Coast Guard are undergoing technical checks. The helicopters which have been cleared in the scrutiny process are flying now, said a source.
The Indian Air Force operates around 70 ALH Dhruv.
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