Indian Navy's Advanced Light Helicopter makes emergency landing during routine sortie, crew members rescued

"Indian Navy ALH on a routine sortie off Mumbai ditched close to the coast. Immediate search and rescue ensured the safe recovery of the crew of 3 by a naval patrol craft," the official said.

An Indian Navy Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) on a routine sortie with three personnel on board on Wednesday (March 8) made an emergency landing off the Mumbai coast, an official said. The crew was rescued by a naval patrol aircraft, said the official.

"Indian Navy ALH on a routine sortie off Mumbai ditched close to the coast. Immediate search and rescue ensured the safe recovery of the crew of 3 by a naval patrol craft," the official said.

'Ditching' refers to an emergency landing on water. An inquiry to investigate the incident has been ordered, the official added.

In October last year, a weaponised ALH of the Army crashed in Arunachal Pradesh, killing all five personnel onboard.

After the deadly crash, all ALH in service in the country were grounded for safety checks as a precaution. "We are putting all of them under a one-time check and they will be flying post that," an official had said.

Prior to that, a Cheetah helicopter of the Indian Army had crashed in Kashmir's Gurez sector, killing one of its pilots.