CFN Pabballa Anil killed in Kishtwar chopper crash, 2 pilots injured

Pabballa Anil, a technician, was killed and two pilots were injured after an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv crashed after a vigorous landing in J&K’s Kishtwar district on May 4.

#LtGenUpendraDwivedi, #ArmyCdrNC & All Ranks #NorthernCommand offer tribute to supreme sacrifice of CFN (Avn Tech) Pabballa Anil, in the line of duty during Operational flying of ALH MK III near #Kishtwar #JammuKashmir & offer deepest condolences to the bereaved family@adgpi pic.twitter.com/gsHxwEvRiE

— NORTHERN COMMAND - INDIAN ARMY (@NorthernComd_IA)

Notably, the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv on an operational mission came down on the banks of a river in Marwah area, cut off from the district headquarters due to heavy snow.

Army’s statement 

"At about 1115 hours on 04 May 2023, an Army Aviation ALH Dhruv helicopter on an operational mission made a precautionary landing on the banks of Marua river in the Kishtwar region of Jammu and Kashmir," said the official statement from the Udhampur-based Northern Command.

"Due to the undulating ground, undergrowth and unprepared landing area, the helicopter apparently made a hard landing. Immediate rescue operations were launched and Army rescue teams reached the site," it added.

The statement added that further information was being gathered, and a court of inquiry has been ordered. It is pertinent to note that this is the third incident involving an ALH in the past two months.

ALH - the specifications

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. designed and produced the ALH in-house. Over 300 ALH of various variants, including the Rudra Weapon System Integrated (WSI), Mk1, Mk2, Mk3, and Mk4, are currently in service with the three Services and the Coast Guard. 75 of more than 145 indigenous ALH that the Army runs are Rudra. Over the next two years, another 25 ALH Mk-IIIs will be inducted. There are more than 70 ALH in the Air Force, 18 ALH in the Navy, and 20 ALH in the Coast Guard.