CDS Bipin Rawat’s chopper crash: Accident a result of entry into clouds due to unexpected change in weather
The Court of Inquiry looking into the December 8 helicopter crash killing all 14 onboard including Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat has ruled out sabotage, mechanical failure, or negligence as the cause of the mishap. This was officially made public on Friday.
“The Tri-Services Court of Inquiry into the Mi-17 V5 accident on Dec 08, 2021, has submitted its preliminary findings. The inquiry team analyzed the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder besides questioning all available witnesses to determine the most probable cause of the accident. The Court of Inquiry has ruled out mechanical failure, sabotage, or negligence as a cause of the accident. The accident was a result of entry into clouds due to unexpected changes in weather conditions in the valley. This led to spatial disorientation of the pilot resulting in a controlled flight into Terrain. Based on its findings, the Court of Inquiry has made certain recommendations which are being reviewed,” said the Ministry of Defence in a statement.
Rejecting doubts on sabotage, mechanical failure, earlier reports suggested that the most plausible cause of the accident was bad weather. Technically, it is known as Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CIFT) wherein an aircraft unintentionally collides with terrain be it ground, mountain, cliff, or a tree-top.
The tri-services probe team-headed by Air Marshal Manvendra Singh, himself an accomplished helicopter pilot and currently Chief of Training Command and IAF chief V R Chaudhari had apprised Defence Minister Rajnath Singh here on January 5 about the findings of the investigations. However, no official announcement was then made.
On Friday, the Government said “the Tri-Services Court of Inquiry into the Mi-17 V5 accident on Dec 08, 2021, has submitted its preliminary findings. The inquiry team analyzed the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder besides questioning all available witnesses to determine the most probable cause of the accident.
The Court of Inquiry has ruled out mechanical failure, sabotage, or negligence as a cause of the accident. The accident was a result of entry into clouds due to an unexpected change in weather conditions in the valley. This led to spatial disorientation of the pilot resulting in a Controlled Flight into Terrain. Based on its findings, the Court of Inquiry has made certain recommendations which are being reviewed,” the official statement by the IAF said.
The accident took place when General Rawat, his wife Madhulika, his defence advisor Brigadier L S Lidder, staff officer to the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Colonel Harjinder Singh and decorated pilot Group Captain Varun Singh and others were to land at the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington. General Rawat was scheduled to give a lecture there later in the day. The helicopter crew was also killed in the crash.
The Court of Inquiry investigated all the aspects including the possibility of a malfunction in the helicopter mechanism, any technical or human error leading to the accident. The investigators also examined the black box or flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, said officials.
The helicopter crew had not made any distress call to the ground station when it suddenly encountered thick clouds indicating that the pilots were in control of the helicopter. The commander of the flight was Wing Commander Prithvi Singh Chauhan and Squadron Leader Kuldeep Singh was the co-pilot. Both of them were highly skilled pilots with Master Green rating, they said.
The CIFT phenomenon says the pilot or crew is unaware of the looming disaster until it is too late, and it most commonly occurs in the approach or landing phase of a flight. Moreover, the CFIT occurs when an airworthy aircraft, while under the complete control of the pilot, is inadvertently flown into terrain, water, or an obstacle. According to the IATA (International Air Transport Association), the term refers to accidents in which in-flight collisions with terrain, water, or another obstacle occur without indication of loss of control.
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