Bipin Rawat, the country's first Chief of Defense Staff, was killed in a helicopter crash on Wednesday. Rawat's chopper crashed on his way to Wellington from Coonoor in Tamil Nadu. Rawat, his wife and 12 others were in the helicopter at the time. Thirteen of the 14 people in the chopper died, while group captain Varun Singh is battling for his life at the hospital.
An inquiry into the helicopter crash has been ordered. Some experts have speculated that Chopper may have crashed due to Instrumental Meteorological Conditions (IMC). 95% of accidents are due to IMC. The MI-17V5 helicopter used by Rawat is considered to be state-of-the-art and safe. This Russian-made chopper is used by about 50 countries around the world.
The Mi-17V5 chopper is more capable than the Cheetah and Chetak. It has weather radar and autopilot system. However, in cold climates, the chopper encounters obstacles while flying through thick fog in mountainous areas. Any flight has IMC system. Through that the pilot gets the weather information. The chopper that has the IMC system, its pilots rely on the IMC to determine the next direction. Pilots use IMC when the darkness is at an altitude of 2,000 feet and the cloud circumference is 200 feet. The Mi-17V5 helicopter can fly even in bad weather. Experts estimate that the fog may have caused the accident. The chopper may have hit a large tree, which may have caused the accident. The floating data recorder of the crashed chopper has been found. This black box will play an important role in the investigation.