NEW DELHI: A senior IAF pilot was killed and three others were feared dead after their Mi-17 helicopter crashed into the Chenab river in the mountainous Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday afternoon.
While the charred body of pilot, Wing Commander R Garg, had been fished out by late afternoon, search operations were still in progress for the other three victims -- co-pilot Flight Lieutenant S Tomar and technicians junior warrant officer Kundan Singh and sergeant P K Deepak.
The ill-fated Mi-17-1V, in formation with another helicopter on a regular sortie, was flying quite low over the Chenab when it apparently got entangled in a cable of a bridge and crashed into the water reservoir of Baglihar hydro-electric power project at Tringel Assar, 150 km northeast of Jammu.
The helicopters were returning from the mountain-locked Nawapachi area of Kishtawar district, where IAF undertakes regular sorties to supply rations, arms and ammunition for the troops stationed there.
This is the 10th aircraft crash in IAF this year, already making it one of the worst years for the force in recent times. From 1971-72 to 2003-04, IAF's consolidated average rate stood at 1.09 accidents per 10,000 hours of flying, roughly translating into the loss of 23 aircraft and the death of 10-14 pilots every year.
The crash rate did come down dramatically to around 0.27 accidents per 10,000 hours of flying, with an over 50% reduction in crashes after 2003-04. But the number of crashes has now gone up once again.
The two main reasons for crashes are attributed to "human errors" and "technical defects". In other words, "inadequate" training to pilots, ageing machines and shoddy maintenance practices form a deadly mix for IAF.
The sturdy Mi-17s have, however, proved to be one of the workhorses of IAF ever since 50 of them were inducted in the mid-1980s. Another 40 Mi-17-1Vs were later ordered in 2000.
Incidentally, IAF is slated to induct another 80 of Mi-17's latest version from 2010 to 2014 under a $1.2 billion deal with Russia inked in December 2008.
The choppers, which will also be weaponised for combat operations, are slated to replace the 50 old Mi-8s in the IAF fleet, which have already outlived their life span of 35 years, and boost operations in high-altitude areas like Siachen and Ladakh.
Brushing aside criticism that Mi-17s were based on outdated technology and had high life-cycle costs, officers say the new choppers would be able to land at a height of 18,000-feet with their powerful engines, better avionics and night-flying ability.
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