IAF Chopper Crash 2021: We lost Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat in an Air Force helicopter Crash along with 13 others. The IAF Chopper crashed shortly after take-off in Tamil Nadu. In this tragic accident, General Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat lost their lives.
The crash took place shortly after the Russian-made Mi-17 V5 chopper took off from the Air Force base in Sulur, Coimbatore, for Wellington in the Nilgiri Hills.
#WATCH | Latest visuals from the spot (between Coimbatore and Sulur) where a military chopper crashed in Tamil Nadu. CDS Gen Bipin Rawat, his staff and some family members were in the chopper.
— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2021
(Video Source: Locals involved in search and rescue operation) pic.twitter.com/YkBVlzsk1J
The helicopter was already making its descent and would have landed in 10 more minutes. It came down around 10 km from the nearest road, forcing emergency workers to trek to the accident site, said news agency AFP. Reports of the crash emerged around 12.20 pm.
READ MORE: What You Should Know About CDS Bipin Rawat
General Rawat, 63, took charge as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff in January 2019. The position was set up with the aim of integrating the three services – the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
Many former army chiefs expressed grief; they described the Mi-17 double engine chopper as a very stable aircraft used for VVIP flights.