Three crew members, including two pilots, were killed when an advanced light helicopter (ALH) of the Indian Coast Guard crashed during landing at Porbandar airport in Gujarat on Sunday afternoon.

Sources said the ALH Dhruv, which was on a routine sortie, crashed in an open field around 12.15pm and was engulfed in flames.

The reason behind the crash is still not known and an inquiry has been ordered.

“Immediately after the incident, the crew were recovered and shifted to a government hospital in Porbandar where they were declared brought dead. The reasons leading to the incident are being investigated by a board of inquiry,” the defence ministry said in a statement.

The ministry identified the deceased crew members as Commandant Saurabh, Deputy Commandant S.K. Yadav and Diver Manoj Pradhan Navik. They will be cremated in keeping with service traditions and honour, the ministry added.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is a maritime law-enforcement and search-and-rescue agency with jurisdiction in India’s territorial waters. It conducts round-the-year real-life operations at sea.

The ICG operates a fleet of 16 ALH Dhruv helicopters, all designed and manufactured by the Bengaluru-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). ALH Dhruv choppers are also used by the army, navy and the air force.

The ALH fleet, plagued by a nagging design issue, has been involved in nearly 18 accidents over the past five years. It was grounded several times last year after the accidents called into question its flight safety record.

In September last year, an ALH helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea near Porbandar during a medical evacuation mission, leading to a temporary grounding of the fleet for safety checks. Three of the four crew members onboard died in that incident.

Around two years ago, a string of flaws was identified in the ALH Dhruv chopper. Sources said that during a safety audit, certain design and metallurgy issues in some components were identified.

The scrutiny was carried out after a string of accidents involving the platform that had forced the army and the Indian Air Force to ground their fleets. Later, the choppers that were grounded resumed operations following the completion of the safety audit, a defence ministry official said.

The navy, IAF, army and the coast guard have a total of over 325 ALH Dhruvhelicopters and all of them underwent technical checks following several mishaps in 2023.

“A critical safety upgrade on the military’s ALH fleet, initiated by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) after a string of accidents in 2023, had been done and the upgraded control system installed on the helicopters was expected to improve their airworthiness,” said an IAF official.

In March last year, the defence ministry signed contracts with HAL for the acquisition of an additional 34 ALH Dhruv Mk III helicopters, including nine for the ICG.