On December 8, 2021, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat died along with 11 people including his wife, Madhulika Rawat, in a Mi-17 V5 helicopter crash.
The chopper crashed in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu.
A Standing Committee on Defence report tabled in the Lok Sabha on 17th of December stated that the Mi-17 crash occurred because of "Human Error (Aircrew)".
The report stated that during the 'Thirteenth Defence Period Plan' from Financial Years 2017 to 2022, a total of 34 IAF accidents took place. During FY 2021-2022, a total of nine accidents took place and the one on December 8, 2021, was because of "Human Error (Aircrew)"
Previously, unconfirmed reports from sources had said that pilot error was the likely cause of the chopper crash that led to Chief of Defence Staff General Rawat's death. The reports were confirmed after the Standing Committee tabled its report this year.
The inquiry team, in its preliminary findings, said that "The accident was a result of entry into clouds due to an unexpected change in weather conditions in the valley. This led to spatial disorientation of the pilot resulting in a Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)," the team found after analysing the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder besides questioning all available witnesses to determine the most probable cause of the accident."
Follow us
