New Delhi: Two pilots died after an Indian Army Cheetah helicopter crashed near the Mandala hills area in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday.
“With regret we inform that the pilot and the co-pilot of the helicopter lost thier lives in the accident. An investigation is being ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident,” the Army said in a statement.
The chopper, carrying a lieutenant and a major, had taken off from Sange village at 9 am and was headed towards Missamari in Assam’s Sonitpur district when the tragdy happened.
Lt Col VVB Reddy and Major Jayanth A were the two pilots martyred in the chopper crash. The wreckage of the aircraft was found near village Banglajaap, east of Mandala.
The helicopter, which was flying an operational sortie, lost contact with Air Traffic Control (ATC) around 9.15 am, Lt Colonel Mahendra Rawat said.
Lt Col Mahendra Rawat, PRO Defence Guwahati said, “An Army Aviation Cheetah helicopter flying an operational sortie near Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh was reported to have lost contact with the ATC at around 9:15 am today. It is reported to have crashed near Mandala, West of Bomdila.”
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