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Helicopter Lost Contact Within Hour of Take-Off, Crashed Near Joshimath: Six Aboard Missing

Joshimath Helicopter Crash: A Trans Bharat Aviation helicopter carrying a pilot and five passengers crashed into a hillside near Joshimath, Uttarakhand, shortly after taking off from Badrinath en route to Dehradun. Emergency teams including the SDRF, Indian Army, and ITBP have been dispatched to conduct relief and rescue operations near Chai village.

By Pranjal Gupta

Published: Oct 30, 2026, 05:15 PM | Updated: Oct 30, 2026, 05:34 PM

Joshimath Helicopter Crash
Joshimath Helicopter Crash: Rescue teams search the hillside terrain near Chai village in Joshimath following the crash of a Trans Bharat Aviation helicopter carrying six people. | Courtesy: Scrrengrab from Viral Video
Joshimath Helicopter Crash: In a major tragedy, a helicopter carrying six people crashed into a hillside near Joshimath in Uttarakhand on Friday within an hour of taking off. The aircraft, operated by Trans Bharat Aviation Pvt. Ltd. (call sign VT-HCX), had departed from Badrinath at around 1:15 pm on its way to Sahastradhara in Dehradun. At about 2:20 pm when the helicopter was flying over the Joshimath valley, contact and tracking were lost.

The people on board have been identified as the pilot, Captain Himanshu, and five male passengers: Prathapa, Arun, Shankar Gowda, Sudheer K, and H S Natraja. Initial reports suggest the passengers were from Bengaluru. At present, there is no official confirmation regarding casualties, and authorities are still attempting to pinpoint the exact crash location, which is believed to be near Chai village and the JP Power House close to Marwari Bridge.
 
A purported video of the incident is going viral on social media platforms, showing the plane loosing control.
 

Emergency response teams from the Chamoli district administration, police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Indian Army, and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) have been deployed to the area to carry out relief and rescue operations. However, bad weather has hampered efforts. The Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) confirmed that another rescue helicopter will be dispatched as soon as conditions clear up. As a safety precaution, UCADA has grounded Trans Bharat Aviation’s entire fleet.
 
Prateek Jain, CEO of Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), said the company would send another helicopter to rescue the first one. “We are currently verifying these details as well. The helicopter's location has not yet been traced. However, search and rescue teams have been mobilised in coordination with the Chamoli district administration. The SDRF has also been deployed, along with a unit of the Army. As soon as the weather clears, we will send another rescue helicopter from here to locate the missing helicopter,” Jain told PTI. 
 
"The helicopter took off from Badrinath for Sahastradhara Heliport at 1. 14 PM today. As it was crossing the Joshimath Valley, we suddenly lost track of it on our tracking system, which we use to monitor its movements. We have also received some local information regarding the incident. So far, nothing has been confirmed. However, according to the information available in the passenger manifest, a total of six people were on board the helicopter, the pilot and five passengers. All five passengers are reportedly from Bengaluru," he added. 

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami stated that he is closely monitoring the situation. He has directed officials to ensure that any critically injured passengers are immediately airlifted to higher-level medical centres for treatment.
Former Uttarakhand CM and Congress leader Harish Rawat has also expressed grief to the people who lost their lives in the incident. He said,  "It is very tragic. Our condolences go out to the families who have lost their loved ones. Along with making our air services competitive, we must also ensure they are safe. An investigation will be conducted, and based on the facts that emerge, improvements will be made. This is essential, as a series of such incidents has been occurring, which is deeply concerning. It is a matter of great concern, and we must make every effort to improve the situation. We must dedicate all our resources to ensuring the safety of our air service"
 
This incident highlights ongoing safety concerns in the region. According to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), there were nine safety occurrences - eight accidents and one serious incident—in the Char Dham aviation sector between 2015 and 2025, with at least one incident occurring every year since 2022. Last year was the worst on record for the sector, seeing four accidents, two of which resulted in fatalities. Badrinath is part of the sacred Char Dham Hindu pilgrimage circuit, which also includes Yamunotri, Gangotri, and Kedarnath.