NEW DELHI, Dec 21 (NNN-PTI) – A parliamentary standing committee on defence, in its report tabled in the lower house of parliament (locally called Lok Sabha) stated that, the Mi-17 V5 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, officials said yesterday.
The standing committee report stated that, during the “13th Defence Period Plan” from Financial Years 2017 to 2022, a total of 34 Indian Air Force accidents took place. During FY 2021-2022, nine accidents took place and the one on Dec 8, 2021 was because of “Human Error (Aircrew),” the report said.
The helicopter with 14 people, including Rawat and his wife Madhulika, on board, crashed at Coonoor area of Nilgiris district, about 538 km south-west of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu.
In Jan, 2022, preliminary findings of the defence ministry’s inquiry, investigating the chopper crash found, pilot error in the cloudy weather as the underlying reason for the accident.– NNN-PTI
