HAL team in Ecuador to probe copter mishaps

The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has sent a technical team  to Ecuador to probe accidents involving two Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH-Dhruvs).

The two separate accidents occurred within the span of a fortnight, on January 13 and January 27, respectively.

Ecuador had signed a $45 million deal during the February 2009 Aero India to procure seven ALHs. “The team will examine whether the mishaps are technical faults in the ALH or whether they have resulted from human error. The mishaps occurred during training sessions,” official sources said. The team is headed by the General Manager, Maintenance Division.

Ecuador, meanwhile, has placed restrictions on the flights of three other ALHs. Of the seven ALH’s it procured, two crashed few months after acquisition from HAL in February 2009, while two more developed snags in the last fortnight. The remaining three ALHs with the EAF have been barred from flights until comprehensive checks are completed and the copter is certified to fly.