The Mi-17 V5 helicopter crash that killed Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 13 others on December 8 , 2021, was caused by ‘loss of situational awareness’ on the part of pilots due to the bad weather, the investigation has revealed.
As per reports, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Air Marshal Manvendra Singh who headed the tri-service inquiry into the crash shared details of the inquiry with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on January 5.
The inquiry report is learnt to have pointed out that there was a sudden appearance of a thick cloud cover creating a situation of ‘loss of situational awareness’ for pilots Wing Commander Prithvi Singh Chauhan and Squadron Leader Kuldeep Singh.
They had decided to fly through the thick cloud before the landing at the Wellington helipad. It hit a cliff and crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu seven minutes before its scheduled landing. Wellington is located in a topographic bowl and often has a slight fog cover. Due to cloud, pilots heading to and from the Wellington helipad are asked to follow the visual flight rules means ‘see and avoid.
Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, and 12 others lost their lives when the Mi-17V5 helicopter of the Indian Air Force they were flying in met with an accident in the Nilgiris. Rawat was heading to the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington to attend a programme.
Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Air Marshal Manvendra Singh explained to the defence minister that the crash was a case of Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT).
CFIT explains a situation when the pilot out of the loss of situational awareness, unintentionally hits an obstacle —ground, mountain, tree, or water body — despite being in full control of his helicopter or aircraft.
The IAF is yet to make out a statement whether standard operating procedures were compromised while flying the chopper or there was an ‘error of judgment’ on the part of pilots who were rated under ‘master-green’ category, signifying their top rating in terms of flying and experience.
The tri-service inquiry also analysed the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder of the ill-fated Mi-17 V5 beside a video of the last moment of flying filmed by some tourists. No distress call was made by pilots to the ground stations when the chopper entered the cloud cover.
The inquiry report has also suggested changes in protocols and standard operating procedures for VIP flights. It said that the pilots of such flights should be a mix of master-green and other categories to ensure they seek help from the ground stations if required, the report stated.
