Indian Army and SDRF launched search after Uttarakhand helicopter goes missing

Synopsis

The Indian Army, Chamoli district administration, and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have initiated a search and rescue operation after a Trans Bharat Aviation helicopter carrying six people went missing while flying from Badrinath to Sahastradhara in Dehradun on Friday, October 30, 2026. This was confirmed by Prateek Jain, Chief Executive Officer of the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA).

Before the Incident

The helicopter, with call sign VT-HCX, took off at approximately 1:14 PM and lost communication while passing through the Joshimath valley. Its tracking system stopped transmitting this location, and the aircraft’s whereabouts became unknown, according to UCADA.

“A helicopter belonging to Trans Bharat Aviation departed from Badrinath for the Sahastradhara heliport at 1:14 PM. We have been unable to trace the helicopter’s location since it was passing through the vicinity of the Joshimath valley,” Jain stated. He added that teams had been mobilised near the incident site to prepare for a rescue operation.

The Precaution Taken

As a precaution, the entire fleet of helicopters owned by Trans Bharat Aviation Pvt. Ltd. has been grounded. Jain said, “According to initial information, there were 6 people on board, the pilot plus 5 others. We will share further details once we have confirmation.”

At 2:21 PM, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Joshimath reported a possible crash landing above Chai village in the Joshimath area. Sub-Inspector Manohar Kanyal of Joshimath Post said UCADA officials had informed them that the helicopter’s location was showing near the Army camp above Chai village. However, full details of a crash or crash landing were not yet available.

The Current Situation

The Chamoli district administration said smoke rose near Chai village after the helicopter disappeared. An administrative team and an aerial search team using another helicopter were deployed to locate the missing aircraft.

According to UCADA, the six people on board included the pilot, Captain Himanshu, and five passengers identified as Prathapa, Arun, Shankar Gowda, Sudheer K, and HS Natraja. The helicopter was operating from Badrinath to Sahastradhara heliport in Dehradun when contact was lost over the Joshimath valley.