General Bipin Rawat chopper crash: Inquiry points to Pilot error

Source: PTI

A tri-service probe is expected to brief Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today, nearly a month after the death of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 13 others in a terrible plane crash. 

According to sources, pilot error was the most likely reason for the chopper crash that killed Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat last month.

The Mi-17V5 helicopter carrying General Rawat, his wife Madhulika, and 12 other armed forces personnel crashed after a CFIT (Controlled Flight Into Terrain) incident.

According to sources, CIFT indicates that the helicopter was safe to fly and that the pilot was not at fault.

Reduced visibility in the Coonoor area, where the crash occurred, due to inclement weather could be one of the factors, they suggested.

CIFT is one of the leading causes of plane crashes around the world. 

Air Marshal Manvendra Singh, the country’s top helicopter pilot in the armed forces, leads the tri-services court of investigation.

Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari, the Chief of Air Staff, commissioned the Court of Inquiry.

The findings will be legally verified before being submitted to ensure that all protocols were followed during the investigation

Author

  • Shantanu K. Bansal

    Founder of IADN. He has more than 10 years of experience in research and analysis. An award winning researcher, he writes for the leading defence and security journals, think-tanks and in-service publications. He is a senior consultant at the Indian Army Training Command (ARTRAC), Shimla. Contact him at: Shantanukbansal2@gmail.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *