Pilot dead, search on for other crew member after helicopter crashes off UAE coast

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) announced in a statement that during the ongoing search operations since the accident of the helicopter crash until the current hours, a member of the crew was found dead because of the accident.

The search and rescue operation continues for the other missing pilot.

GACA confirmed that the process of recovering the rest of the aircraft is continuing and that all procedures are carried out according to best practices in cooperation with the competent authorities in search and rescue.

GACA extended its sincere condolences and sympathy to the family of the deceased and affirmed its commitment to announcing the latest developments of the incident as soon as they become available, appealing to the public to obtain information from official sources and ward off rumors and misinformation.

Today morning (Friday), the Air Accident Investigation Sector at the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) stated that the authority received on Thursday, 7th September 2023, at around 8:30 pm, a report of a helicopter crash off UAE coasts.

The “Bell 212” chopper, owned by Aerogulf, with registration mark A6-ALD, fell down in the Gulf sea as it was on a night training trip with two pilots of Egyptian and South African nationalities onboard, GCAA said in a statement, adding that it had taken off from Al Maktoum International Airport.