A day after the HAL Rotary Wing Academy’s Schweizer-300C helicopter crash-landed atop of the five-storeyed Maithri apartment building in G.M.
Palya, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and HAL authorities finally cleared the chopper off the building premises using a heavy duty crane, and shifted it to HAL's workshop on Friday evening. Strong cables were used to lift the chopper. However, during the operation, the cables seemed to give way due to the weight, giving anxious moments to the officials and curious onlookers. It was finally brought down safely.
The DGCA and HAL officials had long hours of discussion with the City police, chalking out a plan to get the chopper down. They even contemplated air-lifting of the chopper but decided to dismantle it since the road leading to the building was very narrow.
A team from DGCA, Hyderabad, inspected the chopper and collected information about the incident. According to HAL sources, the team also photographed the damaged chopper for further investigation. The lifting of the crashed helicopter from the building came as a huge relief to the local residents. Mr Venkatesh, a resident of a nearby building, said: "Initially, we were a little scared while the chopper was being dismantled and brought down by the crane. During the operation, the cables seemed as if they would snap. However, the team successfully managed to get it down safely.”