Bipin Rawat's Death From 'Human Error' Of Chopper's Pilot: Report

Former Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat's death was attributed to the "human error" of the pilot steering the chopper that crashed into the mountains near Coonoor,Tamil Nadu on Dec. 8 2021.

This was mentioned in the standing committee on defence report tabled in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. It attributed The Mi-17 crash to "Human Error (Aircrew)."

The Standing Committee report of the 18th Lok Sabha revealed that during the 'Thirteenth Defence Period Plan' spanning the financial years 2017 to 2022, the Indian Air Force recorded a total of 34 accidents. Nine accidents occurred during the financial year 2021-2022, including the Dec. 8, 2021, incident.

In 2022, sources informed NDTV that pilot error was likely the cause of the chopper crash that claimed the life of the then Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat. The Standing Committee on Defence has now confirmed in its report that the crash was indeed due to "Human Error."

"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," the team found after analysing the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder besides questioning all available witnesses to determine the most probable cause of the accident.

A Mi-17 V5 helicopter carrying General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika, and 12 other armed forces personnel took off from the Sulur Air Force base in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore, heading to the Defence Staff Services College in Wellington. The helicopter crashed into the hills just minutes before landing.

The crash claimed the lives of CDS General Rawat, his wife, and 11 others. Group Captain Varun Singh, was the sole survivor of the accident.