Pilots seek PM Modi’s intervention after Uttarakhand helicopter crash kills six

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the 30 October helicopter crash near Hathi Parvat in Joshimath, Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, which killed all six aboard, including pilot Captain Himanshu Sabharwal. The FIP has urged the government to order an immediate safety review of all commercial helicopter operators in Uttarakhand and set up a National Helicopter Safety Review Committee under the Civil Aviation Ministry, with a time-bound action plan within 90 days.

The FIP cited the 380th report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture from August 2025, which flagged four helicopter accidents during that year’s Char Dham Yatra and questioned the division of responsibilities between the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority and the DGCA. The pilots body has called for replacing single-engine, VFR-only helicopters used in high-altitude operations with dual-engine, instrument-rated aircraft and has demanded that pilots have unquestioned authority to refuse unsafe flights without commercial pressure.

Separately, helicopter operators conducting Char Dham pilgrimage services suspended operations from 2 November, opposing a DGCA directive issued after the crash that mandates a two-pilot configuration for all charter flights. The operators argue the requirement would make services financially unviable.

Update, 2 November 2026: CNBC-TV18 reports that helicopter operators conducting Char Dham pilgrimage services suspended operations from 2 November, opposing the DGCA’s directive mandating a two-pilot configuration for all charter flights, issued after the 30 October crash. The operators argued the rule would make services financially unviable. The other three sources confirm the FIP letter and its demands.