From now on, choppers operating on the Char Dham yatra route will have to ensure that a co-pilot is also on board for safety purposes.
Also read: Uttarakhand chopper crash: All 6 on board killed; Delhi pilot, Karnataka cop among victims
This decision was taken here on Saturday in a high-level meeting of the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) with officials from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
This comes after a privately operated chopper crashed near Joshimath in Chamoli district on Friday, killing six persons on board while it was returning to Dehradun from Badrinath shrine.
UCADA CEO Prateek Jain told PTI here that a co-pilot will be mandatory in any charter operating on Char Dham routes, adding that the pilot will have to file a report after every flight.
He added that the report will contain details like weather conditions on the route and any other important information. A format for this is being prepared, Jain added.
Jain said that this report will ensure that the next pilot operating on this route is better prepared for their flight.
On Saturday, teams from DGCA and AAIB reached Joshimath and spoke to locals about the incident. On Sunday, both teams, accompanied by officials from UCADA, will visit the crash site and collect details to investigate the cause behind the crash.
Officials said that administrative teams are currently engaged in the recovery of the mortal remains of all six victims, and they are expecting that the bodies are likely to be sent to Joshimath by Saturday evening.
