Twenty-eight days after a helicopter crash killed India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, the Tri Service Inquiry Report submitted to defence minister Rajnath Singh has reportedly indicated that a sudden cloud cover over Coonoor led to the “unintentional collision with a mountain”.
In the 30-minute presentation to Rajnath Singh, the inquiry team headed by Air Marshal Manvendra Singh, the Indian Air Force’s senior most helicopter pilot, detailed the circumstances that led to the crash that killed all 14 on board on December 8, 2021. Singh has survived at least a couple of crashes.
The MI 17 V5 tragedy is reportedly being put down to Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT), one of the most common causes of air crashes in bad weather, especially in hilly areas. It usually occurs when flights are getting ready to land.
While the Indian Air Force (IAF) is mum on the findings of the inquiry, sources said there was no technical failure or sabotage. The findings are based on the examination of the accident site, locals’ version, mobile video of the helicopter flying into the mist and decoding of the black box.
The Sulur airbase air traffic controller has told the inquiry team that there was no distress call from the pilot, said sources. Seven minutes before landing at the Wellington Helipad, they lost contact with MI 17 V5. This is roughly the time when a group of tourists filmed the helicopter, which was flying low, entering an envelope of cloud. A couple of minutes later, they heard a crashing sound.
Vikramjit Singh, a veteran defence commentator, said there should have been specialized avionics and equipment on-board to give pilots more situational awareness while flying in low-visibility conditions. “The MI 17 V5 only has an altitude meter. It lacks ground proximity warning systems. The pilot’s decision to fly visual in instrument conditions was a recipe for CFIT.”
Both the pilots of the helicopter were the top grade of the IAF with competence and clearance to fly in low-visibility conditions.
The Tri Service Report has also made some important recommendations, including a relook at the standard operating procedure (SOP) for flying VIPS.
2021 was a bloody year for military crashes. The Army and the Air Force saw 11 crashes in which 22 people were killed.
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