ALH Dhruv Crashes At Ecuador Military Parade

HAL spokesperson M Anantha Krishnan just provided a phone-in to Headlines Today, where, in answer to three questions, said, “It is too premature, I cannot provide any details at this moment.” And to think the Ecuadorian President uses a Dhruv for VIP transport. Nightmare scenario. Eyewitness accounts suggest a fire broke out in the tail area. A ten-member HAL team stationed in Quito has reached the spot and is in possession of the CVR/FDR. Stay tuned for a detailed report.

28 thoughts on “ALH Dhruv Crashes At Ecuador Military Parade”

  1. There are two versions, one that it was pilot error, that an unauthorized aggressive maneuver was performed. The aircraft apparently swung 90 degrees and was unable to regain its position. Another that it could be mechanical error, that smoke was detected before the crash so the incident is still under investigation and no official announcement has been made with regards to the cause of the accident.

  2. Both pilots walked away from the crash.

    Side note:

    Quito Mariscal Sucre Airport is located at a high Andean Plateau at 13,000 ft above sea level. The airport is located within a densly populated area of Quito and is well known for in aviation circles as one of the more difficult airports to operate from.

  3. It happens.
    Plenty of incidents out there;with vids,of similar crashes during military parades.
    Overall Dhruv has a good safety record.
    The pilots survived says a lot for the crash worthiness of the aircraft AND there was no catastrophic fire.

  4. Real embarrassment for HAL. They should have first fulfilled the Local orders before rushing in for Exports,there by letting the product mature.
    The only +ve thing that one can think of is the crash proofness of the copter. Both the guys survived which is great.

  5. What darned luck! I was just going through the Yudh Abhyas pics and was about to suggest that we make the US buy some Dhruvs for use in Af-Pak in exchange of the Multiple deals favouring them. Guess even that distant dream is lost now.

  6. @ Anon 1.48

    Nobody died? Hopes and aspirations of millions died!!! It was the one thing that we had exported with pomp!

  7. The bank appears to be more, if alt & the g forces were more, it could have happened! Need to check on the cyclic margin! It is a really good machine,,, if handeled well!!!

  8. Shiv, there is no fire prior to the crash, check the video. The fire appears after the crash, sparks of fire can be seen from the tail.

  9. Such things happens in aviation. As because man is not made to fly, yet he does…………..

    One Q. Is A.C written-off or repairable?

  10. sad to hear that DHRUV crashed..it can positively be not all together HAL fault because the capability of the pilot is a major factor which governs the flight of any aircraft.

  11. crash of any aircraft is possible because of technical snag,pilot errors or a combination of both..DHRUV has proved itself by serving in the INDIAN DEFENCE and CIVIL SECTORS with a good safety track record…crashes are always undesirable and in this case both the pilots survived, this shows that DHRUV has a good crash survival design.

  12. Though its purported to be a pilot error. It doent send the right msg to the world about HAL! A crash is a crash no matter how it happens. Dhruv is not a PROVEN machine yet. And this crash would definately damage its reputation.

  13. in 1989, on Air Force Day, during the parade, a very experienced IAF Mirage-2000 pilot, Wing Cmdr Bakshi crashed during a display. the aircraft wasn't responsible, it was the pilot who made an error and did not recover from a loop in time and hit an electricity pole. any number of Russian pilots have crashed their fighters doing daredevil stunts at airshows..MiG-29s, Su-27s, all sorts have been crashed when pilots take undue risks at air shows with little margin for error.

    From the video footage and the pictures available, it seems clear that the Dhruv did not catch fire before crashing. It was over-maneuvered at such a low altitude, that there was no margin for recovery. even then, for the pilots to survive so dramatically shows just how well its crashworthiness design is.

  14. People should not think highly of the crash worthiness of Dhruv. The speed at which the accident happened was low and that is the way most of the helicopters that go out of control crash. They crash with a soft landing compared to a fighter plane. So, there is less chance of a fatal casualty in a helicopter crash at low speeds.

  15. Hi Sely ALH our lovhiv ,

    IT hurts and the heart break when we see the video of the crash.Why the same mistakes are repeated by the pilots. After watching the wonderful helicopter improving drastically to meet the requirements and the tough competition ,this is very unfortunate.

  16. even though the crash happened at low speed and the craft started desending from a low altitude, the crash worthiness of the craft's design cannot be neglected as crashes at such low speed and less altitude can be fatal.
    Safetly of the occupants and the pilots are one among the various important design parameters of any aircraft.

  17. @Pratik Khadloya

    – Evaluation by the user.
    – Active service in various sectors.
    – Significant number in active duty and on order.
    – Competitive with other helicopters belonging to the same class of foreign origin.

    The above are just a few points based on simple logical understanding without going into technical aspects which concludes DHRUV to be a proven, reliable and a capable helicopter.

    Improvements, Enhancements, upgradation of any product in generic is a life time continuous process which does not implies that the product being in use is not up to the mark at that very moment.

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