The investigation report of the IAF Mi-14V5 helicopter crash that killed CDS General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 12 other personnel on December 8 in Coonoor is likely to be submitted to the Air headquarters next week. The Indian Air Force had ordered the inquiry into the incident.
The Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat was on his way to Defence Staff College in Wellington from the Indian Air Force base in Sulur near Coimbatore when the unfortunate incident occurred.
The Court of Inquiry (CoI) report by the tri-service team investigating the chopper crash has been forwarded for legal vetting. Air Marshal Manavendra Singh is heading the investigation team. He is the Commander of IAF's training command and a chopper pilot himself. He is assisted by two Brigadier-rank officers from the India Army and Navy.
Air Marshal Manavendra Singh examined all likely scenarios for the crash including possible human error or whether it was a case of disorientation by the crew when the helicopter was preparing for landing. The crashed helicopter's black box containing the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder were recovered and examined to seek insights into the tragedy.
While the cockpit voice recorder records audio communications, the flight data recorder saves the history of the flight. The report is expected to be submitted to Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari in a week, reports suggest.
