June 15, 2025: Following the accident that occurred on Sunday morning in the Kedarnath region with one of Aryan Aviation's helicopters, the government has immediately suspended the company's operations for the Char Dham Yatra. At 5.18 a.m., the helicopter made its way to Shri Kedarnath Ji Helipad from Guptkashi. It departed again at 05.19 am for Guptkashi and is reported to have crashed near Gaurikund between 5.30 am and 5.45 am, the Civil Aviation Ministry said.
There were six passengers, including an infant, and a crew member on board.
As a safety measure, the Uttarakhand government had previously announced that charter and shuttle helicopter operations in the region would be suspended on June 15 and 16. The ministry stated that the helicopter was reportedly airborne despite poor visibility and extensive clouding at the valley entry area, suggesting that Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) may have been the probable cause. The exact cause will be determined through a detailed investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), it added. It said the DGCA has been directed by the Civil Aviation Ministry to immediately post officers from airworthiness, safety and operations to actively oversee all helicopter activity in the Kedarnath Valley, and rigorously review the functioning of the UCADA command-and-control room.
Two helicopters belonging to TransBharat Aviation, VT-TBC with Yogesh Grewal as pilot in command and VT-TBF with Jitender Harjai as PIC, were found to have been airborne under similar unsuitable weather conditions.
The ministry stated that as a result, the licenses of both pilots have been suspended for six months. A helicopter carrying them from the Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand crashed early on Sunday in the Gaurikund forests in poor visibility, killing seven people. The Bell 407 helicopter operated by private firm Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd crashed between Gaurikund and Trijuginarayan in Kedarghati and caught fire, killing all on board. Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar told PTI that zero visibility caused by bad weather apparently led to the crash.