Malshej Ghat, where the Bell 212 crashed on Sunday morning, is one of the trickiest routes to manoeuvre in Western India, pilots and aviation experts said.
"With the mountains and a web of power lines and towers, it is by far the most difficult of areas for chopper pilots to negotiate," said Vipul Saxena, an aviation expert who has flown across the area extensively.
The Rotary Wing Society of India (RWSI), a non-profit body working towards the growth of the civil and military helicopter industry, has documented the difficult nature of the stretch in the past and offered solutions.
"We have time and again told the DGCA that just like floating buoys mark sea routes to warn ships of any impending danger, special marquee flash lights need to be installed on these towers that relay high voltage power, especially in areas between Murbad and Malsej Ghat," said RWSI member K Sridharan, a retired air vice-marshal.
30/09/13 Aditya Anand & Divyesh Singh/Mumbai Mirror
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"With the mountains and a web of power lines and towers, it is by far the most difficult of areas for chopper pilots to negotiate," said Vipul Saxena, an aviation expert who has flown across the area extensively.
The Rotary Wing Society of India (RWSI), a non-profit body working towards the growth of the civil and military helicopter industry, has documented the difficult nature of the stretch in the past and offered solutions.
"We have time and again told the DGCA that just like floating buoys mark sea routes to warn ships of any impending danger, special marquee flash lights need to be installed on these towers that relay high voltage power, especially in areas between Murbad and Malsej Ghat," said RWSI member K Sridharan, a retired air vice-marshal.
30/09/13 Aditya Anand & Divyesh Singh/Mumbai Mirror
