Thuravoor (Alappuzha): An IN 429 Chetak helicopter of the Southern Naval Command (SNC), on routine coastal observation sortie, had to force-land on the Chammanad temple ground at 1:30 pm on Wednesday following a technical glitch.
The three crew, including two pilots, were safe. A salvage team which arrived on another chopper by 3 pm could not fix the glitch immediately. The team removed the rotors to enable easier transportation of the chopper. The rotors were sent to the SNC, Kochi. The truck which arrived initially to carry the chopper lacked the chassis width to accommodate it. Subsequently, the chopper was taken away after a wide-body vehicle was brought in, by 10 pm.
The pilots, the police and the people who gathered had to push the chopper to a side of the ground to create space for the second one to land. The helicopter was winched up using a crane and placed on the truck. A huge crowd had gathered at the ground.
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