Scene of the helicopter crash.
Credit: X/@AirCharterIndia
Mumbai: Two pilots and an engineer were killed when a twin-engine helicopter blew up in flames in a hilly terrain in the Bavdhan area of Pune on Wednesday morning.
The incident took place around 07.50 hrs minutes after the helicopter had taken off from the Oxford Golf Club in Pune.
The crash site is around 20 nautical miles away from the helipad where it took off.
The chopper was headed for the Juhu aerodrome in Mumbai.
As soon as the information about the crash was received, teams of fire tenders from Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) were rushed to the spot.
The helicopter, an Agusta 109, with registration VT-EVV belonged to Heritage Aviation.
All three persons on board died in the accident.
The deceased were identified as Capt Paramjit Singh and Capt G K Pillai, the two pilots and Pritam Bharadwaj, one engineer.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a probe into the accident.
According to some reports, the helicopter was chartered by an NCP leader for flying from Mumbai to Raigad.