Two senior officials of Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd, a helicopter service operating firm, have been booked for alleged negligence in connection with the Kedarnath helicopter crash that claimed seven lives, including a toddler and the pilot.
The Bell 407 helicopter, operated by Aryan Aviation, crashed on Sunday in the Gauri Mai Khark forest area between Gaurikund and Triyuginarayan, reportedly due to poor weather conditions.
According to the police, a case has been registered against the company’s accountable manager Kaushik Pathak and manager Vikas Tomar at the Sonprayag police station. They have been charged under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and Section 10 of the Aircraft Act, 1934, which deals with penalties for violating rules made under the Act, particularly those related to the carriage of dangerous goods or providing false information about them, police said.
The FIR was filed based on a complaint by Revenue Police Sub-Inspector Rajiv Nakholia, posted in Phata. The complaint notes that Aryan Aviation was allocated a flight slot between 6 am and 7 am on June 15, but the crash occurred earlier at 5:30 am.
It also alleges that the helicopter took off without proper weather clearance despite dense fog and cloudy skies. The complaint further states that standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) were ignored while the company managers knew very well that doing so could cause loss of life and property.
The complaint said by doing so, Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd and its managers showed gross negligence towards their responsibilities, due to which the crash occurred.
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