An Indian Army pilot lost his life in a Cheetah helicopter crash near the Tawang area of Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday morning.
“The Cheetah helicopter flying in forward areas near Tawang crashed at around 10:00 AM during a routine sortie. Both the pilots were evacuated to the nearest Military Hospital,” Army officials said.
“One of the pilots Lt Col Saurabh Yadav, who was critically injured succumbed to the injuries during treatment. The second pilot is under medical treatment. The cause of the crash at this stage is not known. Details are being ascertained,” they said.
A Court of Inquiry has been ordered by the Army to ascertain the cause of the crash. The Cheetah helicopters were inducted into the defense forces about 60 years ago and they have tried to replace them on multiple occasions but without any success.