Preliminary findings released on Friday by a military court said an Air Force helicopter crash that killed India’s military chief and 13 others was caused by an unexpected change in weather that left the pilot distracted.
The Court of Inquiry said the helicopter was taking off from a valley last month along with General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 12 other Army and Air Force personnel when the pilot flew into the clouds due to change in weather.
“It became endemic disorientation The pilot resulted in a controlled flight over the area,” the court said.
The court ruled out mechanical failure, sabotage and negligence as the cause of the accident.
Russian-made Mi-17V5 helicopter It was on its way from an Air Force base to the Army Defense Services College when it crashed near the town of Coonoor, a hill station in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Air traffic control lost contact seven minutes before the helicopter landed and did not send a distress call before being found in flames in a wooded area.
63-year-old Rawat, his wife and 11 others died in the attack. The sole survivor, Air Force Captain Varun Singh, died later during treatment.
Rawat was the senior-most officer in the Indian Army and was the first Chief of Defense Staff created by the government in 2019. He was also an advisor to the Ministry of Defence.
Their primary function was to reform the military, which has struggled to modernize, and improve coordination between the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
He served as the first Chief of the Army Staff and also commanded the army in Indian-controlled Kashmir and along the border with China. He was a veteran of counter-terrorist operations.
This story has been published without modification in text from a wire agency feed. Only the title has been changed.
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