Eight defence personnel, including three crew members, were injured when an Indian Air Force helicopter crashed soon after taking off from the airport here Tuesday morning in the northern state . The Mi-26 chopper carrying defence personnel took off from the technical airport at Satwari here and crashed within minutes of take off at 0950 hrs (local time), Defence Spokesperson Lt. Col Viplov Nath told The Press Trust of India (PTI). He said eight defence personnel, including crew members, were injured and have been rushed to the Military Hospital at Satwari. The cause of the mishap is yet to be ascertained. The airport has been closed for two hours for clearing operations.