Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat died in a Mi-17 V5 helicopter crash on December 8, 2021. A total of 12 people died in the crash, including General Rawat’s wife, Madhulika Rawat. The helicopter crashed in the mountains near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.
Three years later, a Standing Committee on Defence report tabled in the Lok Sabha the day before yesterday stated that the Mi-17 crash, which took place on December 8, 2021, occurred because of “Human Error (Aircrew)”.
The Standing Committee report of the 18th Lok Sabha 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)”.
In 2022, sources told NDTV that pilot error was the likely cause of the chopper crash that led to Chief of Defence Staff General Rawat’s death. Now, the report from the Standing Committee on Defence confirms that the crash was due to “Human Error”.
Later, the inquiry team in its preliminary findings said, “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.”
What Happened on December 8, 2021
A Mi-17 V5 carrying General Rawat, his wife Madhulika, and 12 other armed forces personnel, took off from the Sulur Air Force base in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore to the Defence Staff Services Colleges in Wellington, it crashed into the hills minutes before landing
The crash killed CDS Gen Rawat, his wife and 11 others. Group Captain Varun Singh, a Shaurya Chakra awardee, was the sole survivor of the chopper crash but he died a week later during treatment.
Group Captain Singh was being treated for severe burns at a Bengaluru military hospital after he was moved from Wellington in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor. He had been on life support.