India defence chief's pilot 'disoriented by weather': inquiry

A pilot disoriented by a sudden change in weather conditions crashed the helicopter carrying India's defence chief General Bipin Rawat last month, killing all 14 people on board, an official inquiry found Friday.

The 63-year-old Rawat was travelling with his wife and other senior officers in the Russian-made Mi-17 chopper, which crashed near its destination in southern Tamil Nadu state.

"The court of inquiry has ruled out mechanical failure, sabotage or negligence as a cause of the accident," India's defence ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said that the investigation team analysed the flight data recorder, cockpit voice recorder and questioned witnesses to come up with its preliminary report.

The aircraft entered clouds due to an "unexpected change in weather conditions", it said. "This led to spatial disorientation of the pilot resulting in Controlled Flight into Terrain."

Rawat was India's first chief of defence staff, a position that the government established in 2019, and was seen as close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

His death was the subject of wall-to-wall coverage in Indian media, and his flag-wrapped coffin was towed through the streets of New Delhi on a gun carriage draped with flower garlands before he was cremated.

He and his wife were cremated together on the same pyre, with a 17-gun salute fired as their daughters set it alight.

Rawat was an outspoken and polarising but hugely popular officer who came from a military family and had already survived a helicopter accident in 2015, with minor injuries.

The general was headed to the Defence Services Staff College to address students and faculty when the Mi-17 chopper crashed in foggy conditions.

Related Links
Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Zero CO2 emissions 'spaceplane' parts to be manufactured in the heart of Sydney
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jan 14, 2022
Aerospace engineering startup Hypersonix Launch Systems has signed a Master Research Collaboration Agreement (MRCA) with the University of Sydney to research and manufacture the components of a zero emissions, hypersonic spaceplane - a launch vehicle capable of deploying small satellites into low earth orbit (LEO). Named Delta Velos, the vehicle will be powered by four green hydrogen-fueled scramjet engines, enabling carbon neutral propulsion. It will also include the world's first 3-D printed fix ... read more