Kedarnath, 7 June : A helicopter carrying five pilgrims to Kedarnath Dham made an emergency landing on a national highway near Bharasu in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district on Saturday, temporarily halting traffic in the area, officials confirmed.

The chopper — an AW119 operated by Kestrel Aviation Private Limited — reportedly experienced a sudden technical malfunction shortly after takeoff, prompting the pilot to make a hard but controlled landing on the adjacent road.

The incident took place as the helicopter, piloted by Captain RPS Sodhi, departed from the Bharasu helipad with five devotees on board. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the pilot suspected a malfunction in the collective control — a crucial component for managing vertical lift — and swiftly initiated emergency landing procedures.

“All five passengers on board were evacuated safely without injuries. The pilot, however, sustained minor back injuries during the hard landing and was taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention,” the DGCA stated.

The DGCA further added, “Kestrel Aviation’s AW119 helicopter, piloted by Captain RPS Sodhi, experienced a hard landing on the road adjacent to the Bharasu helipad earlier today. As per initial inputs, shortly after takeoff from the helipad, the pilot reported a suspected issue with the collective control getting stuck. In response, he executed a controlled force landing on the road near the helipad. All passengers are safe and unharmed. The pilot has been taken to the hospital for evaluation due to complaints of back pain.”

A parked vehicle sustained damage during the emergency landing, though heli-shuttle operations to Kedarnath remained unaffected.

District Tourism Development Officer and Heli Service Nodal Officer Rahul Chaubey confirmed, “Today, on 7th June, around 1 pm, Kestrel Aviation’s helicopter developed a technical fault while taking off from Bharasu. Following this, it landed on our national highway. There were five passengers and one pilot onboard. The pilot was injured while the five passengers are all safe.”

The emergency landing caused a temporary suspension of traffic on both sides of the highway near Badasu, a key route for pilgrims travelling to Kedarnath. Authorities swiftly deployed teams to remove the helicopter from the road and resume normal traffic flow.

In an update posted on X, Rudraprayag Police urged pilgrims to remain at their current locations until the route was cleared. “Due to a hard landing of a helicopter on NH near Badasu in Rudraprayag district, traffic was completely disrupted on both ends of the said place. Devotees coming to visit Shri Kedarnath Dham are requested to stay near where they are at the moment,” the post read.

An investigation into the technical malfunction is currently underway.