While flying in a MI 17 helicopter, first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat met with an accident in Coonoor city of Tamil Nadu on December 8, 2021. The tragic mishap cost Rawat not only his life but also the lives of 12 other people on board including his wife Madhulika Rawat.
Globally, Russian-made MI 17 helicopters are notorious for accidents. Between 2011 and 2021, MI 17s met with more than 24 accidents all over the world. Out of these, seven took place in India itself.
The first accident took place in April 2011 in Arunachal Pradesh in which 17 people died. The second accident took place in August 2012 in Gujarat in which nine people died. In June 2013, third mishap occurred in Uttarakhand, in which 20 people lost their lives.
Again, in Arunachal Pradesh, in October 2017, the fourth accident took place in which seven people died. The fifth accident took place in Uttarakhand’s Kedarnath in April 2018. Luckily, no one died in it.
In February 2019, in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, the sixth accident took place killing six people.
The last one took place in Coonoor city of the southern state of Tamil Nadu, in which 13 out of 14 people lost their lives including, General Bipin Rawat.
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About the author: Anurag Sason is an Indian journalist with experience in mainstream journalism. He has worked in newspaper, news agency, TV, news app (short video sharing app) and digital media. He tweets at @AnuragSason
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