Two pilots dead in Indian Army chopper crash

Indian Army Cheetah helicopter crashed in Bhutan; one pilot was Indian and the other Bhutanese

An Indian and Bhutanese pilot lost their lives as an Indian Army Cheetah helicopter crashed in Bhutan on Friday.

According to ANI, the single-engine Cheetah Helicopter of the Indian army was en route to Yongphulla, Bhutan, when it crashed into a hill near Khentongmani.

Bhutan: An Indian Army Cheetah helicopter crashed in Bhutan today, both pilots lost their lives. It was enroute from Khirmu(Arunanchal) to Yongfulla(Bhutan) on duty. The 2 pilots were-an Indian Army pilot of Lieutenant colonel rank&a Bhutanese Army pilot training with Indian Army pic.twitter.com/gxl6W7WzqQ

— ANI (@ANI) September 27, 2019

"In an unfortunate incident, an Indian Army Helicopter has crashed at 1pm near Yongphulla in Bhutan. The helicopter went out of radio and visual contact soon after 1pm. The helicopter was on way from Khirmu (Arunanchal) to Yongphulla on duty," said Indian Army Spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand.

"Ground search and rescue were launched immediately from Yongphulla. The wreckage has been located," he added.

Yet another Indian Air Force MiG-21 crashes

One of the killed pilots was from the Indian army and the other from the Royal Bhutan Army. Citing sources, the report stated that the Indian Army pilot held the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.

As per the report, the chopper belonged to Indian Army's 667 Army Aviation Squadron based in the Indian state of Assam.

The accident comes days after an Indian Air Force MiG-21 crashed near the Gwalior Air Force Base in Madhya Pradesh.

The aircraft was on a routine training mission on Wednesday and both pilots – a group captain and a squadron leader – managed to eject safely.

According to another Indian media report, more than 170 Indian pilots and 40 civilians have been killed in air crashes since 1970.

All these crashes involved fighter planes and most were attributed to MiG-21 jets, which have had 210 accidents from 1963-2015.

“According to Rajya Sabha, over the past 40 years, India had lost more than half of its MiG combat fleet of 872 aircraft. Over half of the 840 aircraft that were lost in crashes were built between 1966 and 1984,” the report states.

“Since 2016, the IAF has lost 27 aircraft in crashes, which include 15 fighter jets and helicopters,” India’s Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik said in June.