Pune: A private helicopter flying from Mumbai to Hyderabad crashed in Mulshi tehsil of Pune district on Saturday afternoon but all four persons on board survived, police said.
While the pilot was hospitalised at Paud, about 30 to 35 km from Pune city, the three passengers suffered minor injuries, an official said.
A team of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) reached the site for conducting an initial inquiry.
Bad weather was suspected to have caused the crash as the area is receiving heavy rains, said inspector Manoj Yadav of Paud police station.
The chopper, belonging to Global Vectra aviation company, crashed at Kondhwale village past 2 pm, he said.
Locals rushed to the rescue of the occupants as it came down.
“When they took off from Mumbai, the weather was fine, but when the chopper reached Paud area, which has been receiving rains since last night, it encountered difficulties. The pilot tried to land but it hit a babul tree and then crashed to the ground,” said inspector Yadav.
As the fall was broken by the tree, the impact of the final crash appeared to have been mitigated, he said.
There were no reports of the chopper experiencing any technical problems, the official said.
The occupants were identified as Captain Anand, Veer Bhatia, Amardeep Singh and S P Ram.
A video of the helicopter spiraling down went viral on social media.
According to sources, the 15-seater helicopter, type AW-139 with registration number VT-GVI, had taken off from Juhu in Mumbai at 2:01 pm.
After reaching Hyderabad, it was scheduled to operate as a commercial flight, and the pilot, co-pilot and two supporting staff were on board, they said.
DGCA officials said the helicopter made a forced landing and sustained extensive damage.
“The DGCA team has reached the site and initiated their investigation. After the initial probe, it will be determined whether the crash will be investigated further by the DGCA or the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau,” said an official.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Marziya Sharif | 
