Where CDS Gen Rawat Heading When The Chopper Crashed?
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat was flying to the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington in the Nilgiri Hills to address the faculty and student officers of the Staff Course when the IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter he was travelling in crashed about 10 km short of the Wellington helipad about 12 noon on December 8.
Gen Rawat and his wife Madhulika were among the 13 who perished in the crash. The lone survivor from the crash is Group Gp Capt Varun Singh, Directing Staff at DSSC. He is seriously injured and under treatment at the Military Hospital, Wellington
The helicopter had taken off from the IAF’s Sulur airbase in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
General Rawat was India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and was spearheading far-reaching reforms in higher defence management. Before taking over as CDS on December 31, 2019, he was served as the 27th Chief of the Indian Army for three years.
Mi-17V5 helicopter
The Mil Mi-17V5 is the latest version of the Russian-origin Mi-17 helicopter which was designed to meet the high-altitude flying requirements of the Indian Air Force. It is a derivative of the Mi-8 helicopter and is also used for VVIP transport in India. It is a twin-engined, medium weight helicopter.
