An Indian Navy helicopter, which was on a routine training sortie, created panic among people when it reportedly came low and remained stationary over a makeshift shed at Kurishumala in Vallikadu, near Ettumanur, on Wednesday.
The incident took place at 11.30 a.m when a Sea King Charley helicopter hovered over the location as part of a training and familiarisation sortie. Eyewitness accounts suggested that the chopper remained stationary over the spot and the wind generated by the rotor blades of the chopper blew away the temporary roof of a painting workshop underneath. The workshop is reported to have suffered a loss of around ₹25,000.
The incident created fear among the local people who ran away from the spot thinking that the chopper was going to crash. The people claimed that the same chopper had been spotted flying low in another area in the same ward earlier.
The incident was immediately reported to the Kanakkari village office and the Kuravilangadu police. The police who had been initially caught unawares of the incident later confirmed that it was a naval chopper.
A defence spokesperson said the chopper, which was generally deployed in humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief operations, was on its standard low-flying mode.
Navy statement
An official statement from the Indian Navy said that the aircraft had established a high hover at 200 ft above ground level as per the sortie profile.
“It is possible that during approach to the hovering spot these buildings under construction might not have been visual to the aircrew from air at that height due to thick foliage and dense vegetation in the area. Notwithstanding, the air station is examining options of alternate approaches to the hillock keeping clear of buildings or habitation,” read the statement.
The statement further elaborated that the Indian Naval aircraft based at INS Garuda conducted pilot training apart from meeting various operational commitments. “In order to train the aircrew to fly special operations, especially in the unmapped terrains during natural disaster or calamities, and to give realistic training value, an area off Ettamanur has been selected due to proximity of steep hillocks to simulate mountainous terrains clear of habitations. The sorties are undertaken routinely at that location,” it noted.
