A tri-service inquiry has been ordered by the Indian Air Force into the Tamil Nadu chopper crash tragedy that killed India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 12 others, including his wife.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday, December 9, told Lok Sabha that the inquiry will be headed by Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Training Command Air Marshal Manvendra Singh. Indian Air Force officials said that Air Marshal Manvendra Singh is a helicopter pilot himself.
The IAF on Wednesday stated that an inquiry had been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.
"An IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, with CDS Gen Bipin Rawat on board, met with an accident today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. An Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident," IAF had tweeted.
An IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, with CDS Gen Bipin Rawat on board, met with an accident today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu.
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) December 8, 2021
An Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.
Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 12 others — including his wife Madhulika and 11 armed forces personnel — were killed in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor on Wednesday, December 8. The sole survivor of the crash, Group Captain Varun Singh, suffered 45% burn injuries and is currently undergoing treatment at a military hospital in Wellington.
The deceased include the spouse of General Bipin Rawat, Madhulika Rawat, his Defence Adviser Brig Lakhbinder Singh Lidder, Staff Officer Lt Col Harjinder Singh and nine other Armed Forces personnel including the Air Force helicopter crew. Their names are Wing Commander Prithvi Singh Chauhan, Squadron Leader Kuldeep Singh, Junior Warrant Officer Rana Pratap Das, Junior Warrant Officer Arakkal Pradeep, Havildar Satpal Rai, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitendra Kumar, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar, Lance Naik B Sai Teja.