Officials said ‘the Cheetah helicopter lost contact with the forward post at Gujran, and its wreckage was found in a snow-bound Gujran Nallah area in Bandipora’
Representational image. ANI
An Indian Army Cheetah helicopter crashed near the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir’s Gurez sector on Friday, resulting in the death of its pilot and injuries to the co-pilot, officials said.
The co-pilot is being treated at Base Hospital, Srinagar, they added. His condition remains critical.
The helicopter was on its way to pick up sick Border Security Force personnel, however, it crashed before evacuating the ailing soldier from a forward post, the PRO Defence Srinagar said.
29-year-old Major Sankalp Yadav who succumbed to his injuries, was commissioned in the army in 2015. He was a resident of Jaipur and is survived by his father.
The PRO Defence Srinagar added, “The helicopter lost contact with the forward post at Gujran, Baraub, and its wreckage was found in a snow-bound Gujran Nallah area of North Kashmir’s Bandipora.
A search operation on foot was immediately launched by the Indian Army alongside search and rescue helicopters which were pressed into service.”
While the army said that the “events leading to the crash of the helicopter are being ascertained,” an official told PTI that the “helicopter was about to land but drifted away because of the weather conditions.”
The Cheetah is a single-engine helicopter. It does not have a ground proximity warning system and weather radar, according to a report in The Print.
The report added that the army has 200 such choppers and that over the last few years 30 Cheetah helicopters have crashed killing over 40 officers.
With inputs from agencies
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