Mumbai, 15 June

The government has suspended the operations of Aryan Aviation for the Char Dham Yatra with immediate effect following the accident of one of the firm's helicopters in the Kedarnath region on Sunday morning, according to an official release.

The helicopter took off from Guptkashi at 05.10 am and landed at Shri Kedarnath Ji Helipad at 05.18 am. It departed again at 05.19 am for Guptkashi and is reported to have crashed near Gaurikund between 05.30-05.45 am, the Civil Aviation Ministry said.

There were five passengers, one infant, and one crew member on board.

Earlier the Uttarakhand government announced suspension of charter and shuttle helicopter operations in the region on 15 and 16 June as a safety precaution.

Preliminary indications suggest that the probable cause may be Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT), with the helicopter reportedly airborne despite poor visibility and extensive clouding at the valley entry area, the ministry said.

The exact cause will be determined through a detailed investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), it added. It said that the DGCA has been directed by the Civil Aviation Ministry to immediately post officers from airworthiness, safety, and operations to actively oversee all helicopter activity in the Kedarnath Valley, and rigorously review the functioning of the UCADA command-and-control room.

Two helicopters belonging to TransBharat Aviation - VT-TBC with Yogesh Grewal as pilot in command and VT-TBF with ( Jitender Harjai as PIC were found to have been airborne under similar unsuitable weather conditions.

Accordingly, the licenses of both pilots have been suspended for six months, the ministry said.

Seven people were killed as a helicopter carrying them from the Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand crashed early Sunday in the forests of Gaurikund amid poor visibility.

The Bell 407 helicopter operated by private firm Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd crashed between Gaurikund and Trijuginarayan in Kedarghati and caught fire, killing all on board. Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar told PTI that zero visibility caused by bad weather apparently led to the crash.