23 Aircraft & Helicopter Accidents Reported in 5 Years

India Records 23 Aviation Accidents in Last Five Years, Helicopter Accident Rate Highest: Government​

New Delhi, March 23 – The government on Monday stated that 23 accidents involving scheduled, non-scheduled fixed-wing operators (NSOP), and helicopter operators occurred in the last five years. The information was provided by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

Accident Statistics​

• The helicopter accident rate per 10,000 flying hours was 0.53 in 2025, the highest in the last five years.
• The NSOP fixed-wing aircraft accident rate per 10,000 departures was 0.27 in 2025.

Year-wise accidents:

• 2021: 6 accidents
• 2022: 4 accidents
• 2023: 4 accidents
• 2024: 3 accidents
• 2025: 6 accidents

In 2025 specifically:

• 4 accidents involved helicopters
• 1 accident involved a scheduled fixed-wing aircraft
• 1 accident involved an NSOP fixed-wing aircraft

Manpower and Safety Oversight​

Responding to concerns about manpower shortages at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Mohol said vacancies have not impacted safety functions.

• Out of 1,630 sanctioned posts, over 780 positions are vacant.
• 167 candidates have been selected/recommended in recent recruitment drives, with 106 appointment offers issued.
• A request has been made to UPSC to replace 42 Airworthiness Officers from the reserve panel.
• A Direct Recruitment (DR) proposal for 82 technical cadre posts for 2026 is in process.

The minister added that DGCA manages vacancies through short-term contractual hiring and maintains a systematic safety oversight mechanism.