The helicopter, operated by Trans Bharat Aviation Pvt. Ltd. with call sign VT-HCX, was flying from Badrinath to Sahastradhara in Dehradun, according to the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA). It took off at about 1:15 p.m. and lost communication at about 2:20 p.m. while flying over the Joshimath valley, crashing into a hillside near Chai village, close to the JP Power House near Marwari Bridge in Chamoli district.
The six people on board were pilot Captain Himanshu and five male passengers — Prathapa, Arun, Shankar Gowda, Sudheer K and H S Natraja — officials said. Reports emerged of a white object burning in the forest above the JP Dam, which was suspected to be the helicopter, Chamoli District Disaster Management Officer Nandkishore Joshi said.
Rescue in bad weather: Teams from the Chamoli district administration, police, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) were dispatched to the site, officials said. The India Meteorological Department had issued an orange alert for Chamoli district for the day, warning of thunderstorms, lightning, hail and gusty winds of 40–50 kilometres per hour, with light to moderate rainfall.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said he was closely monitoring the situation. "We have received the unfortunate news of a helicopter crash near Chai village, close to Joshimath. A joint rescue operation is being conducted by the district administration, disaster management department and SDRF," Pushkar Singh Dhami wrote on X, adding that instructions had been given to immediately airlift any seriously injured people to higher-level medical facilities.
UCADA said that as soon as the weather clears, another rescue helicopter will be sent to locate the aircraft, and that as a precautionary measure the entire fleet of Trans Bharat Aviation has been grounded. "The helicopter lost communication when it was flying over Joshimath valley. At the same time, the tracking system could no longer track the helicopter," UCADA said.
The crash is the latest in a troubled record for helicopter operations in the Himalayan state: NDTV noted that Uttarakhand has recorded at least 12 distinct helicopter incidents between 2016 and 2026, and aviation experts have long urged stricter rules, better weather forecasting, high-altitude pilot training and limits on operations in adverse conditions. The cause of Friday's crash has not been established, and officials have not confirmed whether weather, a mechanical failure or another factor was responsible.
Sources: The Hindu (October 30, 2026), The Hindu BusinessLine/PTI (October 30, 2026), The Statesman/IANS (October 30, 2026), Republic World (October 30, 2026), NDTV (October 30, 2026), The Quint (October 30, 2026).