By Staff Correspondent
The recent crash of an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) near Kishtwar, in the Jammu and Kashmir region, has once again drawn attention to a metallurgical issue related to a crucial component: the control rod. The control rod, which is made of aluminum, is located in the gearbox and is responsible for transferring power from the two engines of the helicopter to its overhead rotors.
The team of three armed forces personnel, who have been consulting with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), has recommended that the current control rod be replaced with a stronger material, such as steel. The failure of control in the gearbox results in the helicopter not responding to pilot inputs, and pilots flying ALHs have reported sudden loss of power. To ensure safety, special checks are in place to inspect the control rod after every 100 hours of flying.
The incident that occurred last Thursday marks the tenth crash or emergency landing involving ALH variants in the past three years since May 2020. The most recent incident is the third crash in the past two months, bringing the total number of ALH variants currently in operation to 284. The ten incidents, which range from no injuries to multiple fatalities, are as follows:
CRASHES:
- May 9, 2020: Army aviation, north Sikkim; five injured
- Jan 25, 2021: Army aviation, Kathua, J&K; one pilot dead
- August 3, 2021: Army aviation, Punjab; two pilots dead
- Oct 22, 2022: Army aviation, Migging, Arunachal Pradesh; five, including two pilots, dead
- May 4, 2023: Army aviation, Kishtwar, J&K; one dead, two pilots safe
EMERGENCY LANDINGS:
- Oct 8, 2020: Near Saharanpur; Indian Air Force; no injury
- March 6, 2021: Army aviation near Kheda, Gujarat; two officers on board; no injury
- Jan 2, 2022: Army aviation near Jind, Haryana; no injury
- March 26, 2023: Indian Coast Guard at airport, Kochi; no injury
- March 8, 2023: Forced ditching at sea; Indian Navy; no injury
As investigations continue into the cause of the latest incident, concerns about the safety of ALH variants in operation persist. The ALH-Dhruv is a twin-engine, multi-role, multi-mission new-generation helicopter designed and developed by HAL.
