Aryan Aviation, the helicopter's operator, was recently fined ₹5 lakh by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for a number of regulatory infractions.
The teams from the AAIB and DGCA have already departed for inspection, according to the senior DGCA official.
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), it is an accident, and the AAIB will be looking into the matter, the official added. The accident will also be looked into by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
According to Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh, the Aryan Aviation-operated Bell 407 (VT-RPN) helicopter caught fire at Dev Darshini in Garud Chatti at around 11.45 am.
Almost five to six seconds after taking off from the helipad near the Himalayan temple, the helicopter crashed near Kedarnath and killed seven people on board.
According to Dr. Pradeep Bhardwaj, the head of Six Sigma Healthcare, the accident appears to have been primarily caused by poor visibility brought on by dense fog.
Recently, the number of helicopter services in the area has multiplied, but no corresponding security or control system has been created.
The DGCA issued a warning to helicopter pilots in June of this year about flying on the Char Dham pilgrimage routes. It happened in the wake of an incident in May in which a helicopter bounced and turned 270 degrees while landing at a helipad in Kedarnath.
According to the advisory, pilots have to exercise caution for the presence of any tailwinds during approaches, especially at the Kedarnath helipad.
If the crosswinds or tailwinds are greater than what is allowed, the approach must be abandoned, and the chopper must return to the base. Pilots must take appropriate precautions.
Additionally, it had stated that sufficient distances needed to be kept between helicopters flying into the valley in the direction of the Kedarnath helipad.
The DGCA states that the operators are responsible for making sure the helicopter pilots are certified and rested prior to conducting flight operations.
(Wuth inputs from agencies)
