Indian Mi-17 Crash Kills CDS
I was just about to post the BBC story.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-59576082
Fuller account on Times of India's website
Bit of a non sequitur in the BBC story about an aged fleet being blamed for high number of IAF losses in recent years. Doesn't appear to apply to the Mi-17 V5's as I believe the IAF's oldest airframes were first operational in 2012.
My thoughts and prayers with the families and colleagues.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-59576082
Fuller account on Times of India's website
Dec 08, 2021, 10:04PM ISTSource: TOI.inIndia's first Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 other personnel died in a helicopter crash in the Nilgiris this afternoon. The Indian Air Force MI-17V5 helicopter crashed in Tamil Nadu. Wing Commander Prithvi Singh Chauhan was pilot of the Mi-17V5. Out of 14 passengers, only one survived. Group Capt Varun Singh is currently under treatment at the Military Hospital, Wellington. Official sources say poor visibility led to the tragic incident. CDS General Rawat was on his way to deliver a lecture at the Defence Staff College in Wellington.
"I saw the helicopter coming down... it hit one tree and was on fire," Krishnaswamy, a nearby resident, told The News Minute. "There were plumes of smoke when I ran over. In minutes, the fire was higher than my house."
My thoughts and prayers with the families and colleagues.
