An ONGC helicopter crashed on Tuesday (June 28) on its way to the Sagar Kiran rig in the Arabian Sea, killing four of the nine passengers on board. The helicopter went down just 1 nautical mile from Sagar Kiran at around 1145 hrs but managed to keep it afloat with the help of attached floaters. Rescue teams including Malviya-16 and a speed boat from the rig managed to rescue all nine people on board the crashed helicopter, but 4 of them were declared dead after being taken to a hospital by a naval helicopter. ONGC employees were on board the helicopter along with two pilots.
According to a PTI report, ONGC employees were traveling in a brand new one of the six Sikorsky S-76D helicopters that Pawan Hans had recently leased from Milestone Aviation Group. The helicopter was about 4-5 minutes away from its destination – ONGC’s Sagar Kiran Rig – When the incident happened.
The conditions that led to the incident were not immediately known, but the western offshore had inclement weather and the sea swelled. Officials said ONGC has already started a probe into the incident. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) may also order a separate inquiry.
Giving details of the sequence, officials said the helicopter took off from Juhu helibase this morning like any other day, but 1 or 1.5 km from the landing zone on the rig, it fell into the sea. However, it managed to keep up with the floaters mounted on such helicopters going offshore. “We do not know whether the helicopter fell while floating,” an official said.
All nine people aboard the helicopter were rescued. Unfortunately, four of them, brought unconscious at the Mumbai base and taken to the hospital, lost the battle for life. #ONGC Deeply mourns this loss. https://t.co/ljfmDesV3K— Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) (@ONGC_) June 28, 2022
At first notice, ONGC and Navy searched the ships for rescue. A high speed boat from Sagar Kiran rig reached the spot first. All personnel were evacuated in 90-100 minutes.
While the ship Malviya-16 rescued four people, one person was pulled out of the rescue boat from the Sagar Kiran rig. The Navy helicopters brought four unconscious people to hospitals in Mumbai, the official said. The helicopter sank soon after.
A Multi-Support Vessel (MSV) is already at the spot, trying to rescue the wreckage of the helicopter, he added, adding that divers are also at the spot. ONGC has major oil and gas fields off the Mumbai coast and Pawan Hans helicopters regularly ferry employees and officials of the company to oil installations which are located at a distance of 160 km from the coast.
The helicopter crash is not the first accident in the history of ONGC. In August 2003, a Mi-172 helicopter crashed off the Mumbai coast, killing 27 people and the pilot on board.
On January 13, 2018, a Pawan Hans helicopter with seven people, including five ONGC officials and two pilots, crashed off the Mumbai coast minutes after taking off for the state-owned company’s oil installation in the Arabian Sea. All seven died.
In 2002, a Dauphin helicopter hired by ONGC crashed at sea, but 10 passengers were rescued.
In April 2003, a Bell 412 helicopter carrying ONGC personnel crashed while landing at Juhu airport.
“#SAR #RescueAtSea All nine survivors rescued. Four survivors by OSV Malviya 16, one by Sagar Kiran oil rig boat and two each by #IndianNavy ALH and Seaking helicopters. Four at Juhu by Navy helicopters for management Critical survivors being evacuated to @ONGC_ Hospital,” tweeted PRO Defence, Mumbai.