A helicopter crash in Pune’s Bavdhan area on Wednesday morning resulted in the tragic deaths of three individuals, including two pilots and an engineer. The incident occurred around 6:45 am in hilly terrain shortly after the helicopter took off from a helipad at a nearby golf course.
The helicopter, registered as VT EVV, was operated by Heritage Aviation and was based in Pune. It was chartered by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and was en route to Mumbai. NCP chief Sunil Tatkare had planned to visit Raigad using this helicopter.
Fire crews from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) responded promptly, with four fire tankers currently on the scene.
While the exact cause of the crash is still under investigation, police officials suggested that dense fog may have contributed to the accident.
In a related incident, a private helicopter traveling from Mumbai to Hyderabad crashed in Pune’s Paud village in August. Fortunately, all four occupants survived, although they sustained injuries. Pankaj Deshmukh, Superintendent of Police (Pune Rural), noted that an assessment of their injuries was underway.