Search launched for missing helicopter

New Delhi: The directorate-general of civil aviation (DGCA) on Monday ordered an inquiry into the incident on Sunday evening when an helicopter, belonging to a private company, that took off from Hyderabad for Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh went missing. "The helicopter has still not been found. There are no signs of any wreckage yet," civil aviation ministry sources told this newspaper on Monday evening.
The DGCA on Monday also convened a meeting of major helicopter operators in the country and discussed the adherence to safety norms with regard to helicopter operations.
A major search operation has been launched to locate the helicopter, with four persons on board, or any wreckage of it. One major problem being encountered by authorities is that Jagdalpur falls in the Naxalite-affected territory in Chhattisgarh. According to civil aviation ministry sources, the mobile jammers in the region have hampered communication efforts. Mobile jammers were originally in place in the Jagdalpur region with a view to jam the communication network of Naxalites.
Of the four persons aboard, two were pilots besides an engineer and a technician.
04/08/08 Asian Age

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Aug 2008, Safety Aug 2008