New Delhi:The Mi-17 V5 helicopter crash killed Gen Rawat, his wife Madhulika, and several armed forces personnel en route to Coonoor, Tamil Nadu in 2021.
New Delhi: The Mi-17V5 crash in which India’s first chief of defence staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat was killed along with 13 others three years ago took place because of human error, according to data published in the latest report of the Parliamentary standing committee on defence.
To be sure, the Indian Air Force revealed in January 2022 that the crash took place due to spatial disorientation of the pilot in bad weather, then its first official statement on the accident. The IAF probe ruled out negligence, mechanical failure, or sabotage as possible causes of the accident. The panel’s report, tabled in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, listed out reasons for 34 air crashes during 2017-22. These included human error (aircrew), human error (servicing), technical defect, foreign object damage and bird hit. Some accidents are still under investigation.