Arunachal Pradesh: Indian Army's Cheetah Helicopter Crashes In Tawang Area, 1 Pilot Killed

One of the Indian Army's Cheetah helicopters crashed near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, killing one of the pilots, official sources revealed on October 5. A defence spokesperson informed that the fatal accident took place near the boundary with China on Wednesday morning, claiming the life of one of the two pilots onboard.

Meanwhile, Defence spokesperson Col AS Walia stated that the incident occurred approximately around 10 am in the morning during a routine sortie in a forward area, reported Mint. He said that the two pilots on board were rushed to the nearest military hospital right after they were rescued from the crash site.

Furthermore, he added that one of the pilots who was severely wounded succumbed to the wounds during treatment. The other pilot is currently undergoing treatment, Col Walia revealed. The cause of the crash was not immediately known, he said.

Arunachal's Crash History

"An army aviation Cheetah helicopter flying in the forward area near Tawang has crashed on 05 October at around 10 am during a routine sortie. Both the pilots were evacuated to nearest Military Hospital," stated an official release by an Army public relations officer (PRO) at Assam's Tezpur.

Over the past decade, Arunachal Pradesh has had a record of numerous helicopter crashes in recent years, poor weather being one of the main reasons behind most of them. Ever since 2010, more than 40 people have lost their lives in six different helicopter crashes in the Northeast state, and they include former chief minister Dorjee Khandu.

Earlier, a Cheetah helicopter of the Army crashed near the LOC in Jammu and Kashmir in March. A pilot had died in the incident, while the co-pilot had suffered severely injured.

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