Seven military personnel were killed when a Mi-17 helicopter of the Air Force crashed in Arunachal Pradesh on Friday.
“At 06:00 hours, a Mi-17 V5 helicopter, while on an air maintenance mission, crashed in Arunachal Pradesh, resulting in fatal injuries to seven personnel - five IAF crew members and two from the Army,” IAF officials said.
A court of inquiry has been ordered into the accident.
PTI adds:
The chopper had taken off from the Khirmu helipad near Tawang and was on its way to Yangste, said Tawang Superintendent of Police M.K. Meena said.
The Russian manufactured Mi-17 V5 chopper was on an air maintenance mission and was also scheduled to drop off kerosene jerry cans at an Army camp in Yangste, he said. All the bodies were recovered by a team of the IAF and the Army.
The dead have been identified as Wing Commander Vikram Upadhyay, Squadron Leader S. Tiwari, Master Warrant Officer A.K. Singh, Sgt. Gautam and Sgt. Satish Kumar of the Air Force and Sepoys E. Balaji and H.N. Deka from the Army.
“The rescue operation was carried out at an altitude of almost 17,000 feet above sea level,” Mr. Meena said. “All the bodies were brought to Khirmu helipad for medical formalities and flown to Tezpur airbase,” he added. A team of police and district administration officials have left for the crash site to gather more details.
The Mi-17 V5 (domestic designation Mi-8 MTV5) is a military transport variant in the Mi-8/17 family of helicopters. It is produced by Kazan Helicopters, a subsidiary of Russian Helicopters. The aircraft has a maximum takeoff weight of 13,000 kg. It can transport either 36 armed soldiers internally or 4,500 kg of load on a sling.
“Our losses in the peacetime are a cause of concern. We are making concerted efforts to minimise accidents and preserve our assets,” Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa said on October 5, referring to a string of crashes of IAF choppers and military jets in recent years.