IAF MI-17 V5 crashes in Gaurikund, 8 killed

[mahesh]

RIP the lost souls

and sad to hear Mi-17 that too with a V5 engine going down. given the weather conditions i suppose it could perform well, but then...........

 

[mahesh]

A senior Air Force officer in Gauchar said the ill-fated Mi-17 chopper had made two sorties to the Kedarnath area since this morning and was on its third sortie when it crashed.

The crash occurred in "difficult" weather conditions created by rains and fog, he said.

The chopper belonged to a unit from Barrackpore Air Force Station in West Bengal under the Eastern Air Command.

The IAF said its operations in the area will continue. IAF had started inducting Mi-17 V5 choppers only last year after 80 of them were ordered from Russia.

This is the second incident of a helicopter crash this week in the hill state.

A private helicopter carrying relief materials for the rain-affected people in Rudraprayag district had crashed on Sunday near Gaurikund leaving the pilot injured.



The five IAF personnel killed were a Wing Commander, two Flight Lieutenants, a Junior Warrant Officer and a Sergeant.

 

[Coalmine]

Rip to the dead.
Seems russians sold old wine in new bottle.

 

[sayareakd]

is it one of the new one? this type of operation is dangerous for various reasons.

 

[Armand2REP]

19... what a horrific loss of life! This was a brand new Mi-17 V5 with the latest gear, yet it doesn't stop the huge death tolls this helicopter has a record for. It is time IAF wakes up and starts valuing life over cost and spend the few million extra it costs to get a safe helicopter like the Super Cougar. Yes, all helicopters crash, but all people aboard do not have to die.

Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Payeng]

Operations in severe climate, weather forecast for another batch of severe rains compelled IAF to take the risk.

 

[Tronic]

19... what a horrific loss of life! This was a brand new Mi-17 V5 with the latest gear, yet it doesn't stop the huge death tolls this helicopter has a record for. It is time IAF wakes up and starts valuing life over cost and spend the few million extra it costs to get a safe helicopter like the Super Cougar. Yes, all helicopters crash, but all people aboard do not have to die.

Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk 2

Bro, it's a tragic loss. Please drop the sales pitch. Cougars are not immune to crashes, and that's probably why a 'brand new Cougar with the latest gear' crashed last year even before delivery to it's client, killing 6.

 

[Immanuel]

19... what a horrific loss of life! This was a brand new Mi-17 V5 with the latest gear, yet it doesn't stop the huge death tolls this helicopter has a record for. It is time IAF wakes up and starts valuing life over cost and spend the few million extra it costs to get a safe helicopter like the Super Cougar. Yes, all helicopters crash, but all people aboard do not have to die.

Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk 2

Man you are full of shit, this has little to do with quality of the machine, the super cougar wouldn't even take off in most of the rugged conditions the average MI-17 works in daily. They were obviously flying in extremely risky conditions and in such altitudes all it takes is a sudden change in winds. Enough with your insensitive BS.

Besides there is no official word on which type bird, all we hear is sources and sometimes sources are full of shit

RIP the brave ones who dared to risk their lives

 

[Armand2REP]

Bro, it's a tragic loss. Please drop the sales pitch. Cougars are not immune to crashes, and that's probably why a 'brand new Cougar with the latest gear' crashed last year even before delivery to it's client, killing 6.

No, it is a very important issue. Less than a dozen people have died in Cougar series accidents in the last decade while hundreds have died in the Mi-8/17 series. Now it is time to wake up and buy a safer helicopter before more brave service personnel die.

 

[Blackwater]

Rip to the dead.
Seems russians sold old wine in new bottle.

but we are not fool. we know tech right.

i think weather was very treacherous

 

[Snuggy321]

Rip to the dead.
Seems russians sold old wine in new bottle.

Utterly naive and almost dumb comment

We dont know ANYTHING about the circumstances, except the terrible weather conditions, and you jump to such conclusions???

 

[datguy79]

List of aviation accidents and incidents in the War in Afghanistan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

5 crashes in 12 years of war, and half of them were non-fatal. The Mi-17 is a beast.

Rip to all those who died in the line of duty.

 

[Somreet Bhattacharya]

Well, it seems the choppers out in Uttarakhand are being used to their extreme, we have reports about even Cheetahs carrying more people they are capable of...people are in a rush to be rescued...which is understood, given that the weather report says that it might go bad once again...this incident might be a result of the over exhaustion of the man and machine....


Rest in Peace

 

[Tronic]

No, it is a very important issue. Less than a dozen people have died in Cougar series accidents in the last decade while hundreds have died in the Mi-8/17 series. Now it is time to wake up and buy a safer helicopter before more brave service personnel die.

Comparing crashes for a helicopter used by over 50 countries, with over 12,000 total units produced, with the Cougar series, used by a handful few countries in limited numbers is quite a stretch, mate.

If there is one thing the Russians know how to make, it's utility helicopters.

 

[SATISH]

Might be a Bird hit, wire, air pocket, anything...too early to say what happened.

 

[bose]

My prayers for all who lost their life in tragic incident...

 

[pankaj nema]

The Gods can be SO CRUEL sometimes

I guess This is the feeling of anybody who has heard this news

 

[sayareakd]

Well, it seems the choppers out in Uttarakhand are being used to their extreme, we have reports about even Cheetahs carrying more people they are capable of...people are in a rush to be rescued...which is understood, given that the weather report says that it might go bad once again...this incident might be a result of the over exhaustion of the man and machine....


Rest in Peace

yeah i too saw that on TV, they were carrying two females and one kid as passenger.

 

[pmaitra]

There are always bad weather advisories, but sometimes a decision to take the risks are taken. Sometimes it pays off, and sometimes it simply results in a failed operation.

Recall the assault on Tololing Ridge by our modified Mil-17. Out of 4, only the one whose flare dispensers were not working (and whose crew insisted on going despite being recommended not to) ended up getting shot down.

If the mission is a success, we see articles on how the brave men overcame all odds, and if it is a failure, we see articles on how these brave men were martyred.

If weather is bad, and poses risks to helicopter operations, pause it. We need to follow Gen. Patton's advice (see my signature).

 

[Simple_Guy]

Air Force tribute to men who died in Uttarakhand

Wing Commander Darryl Castelino said on Monday that he was happy he was getting to wear his dark green jumpsuit for a big operation to "bring in more and more live people" stranded in Uttarakhand, which has been battered by heavy rain and flash floods since last week.

The tall man looked tired but his enthusiasm had not flagged as he was greeted at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) camp where he would stay the night with one of his pilots. He charmingly returned compliments on the great work his crew was doing.

On Tuesday, on its third rescue sortie of the day, the Russian-made MI-17 V5 helicopter that Wing Commander Castelino was commanding crashed in treacherous terrain while returning from Kedarnath. All 20 people on board are feared dead; 12 bodies have been recovered so far.

The Indian Air Force has confirmed that among the dead are its five personnel on board - Darryl Castelino, Flight Lieutenant K Praveen, Flight Lieutenant Tapan Kapoor, JWO AK Singh and Sergeant Sudhakar Yadav, all from the 157 Helicopter Base in Barrackpore, West Bengal.

In a condolence message the Air Force said: "'You all have done us proud, for you gave your life in service of your countrymen without discretion of colour, cast, creed and religion - more importantly, in their hour of need. You are now a guiding beacon in our deeds. Your selfless sacrifice in Operation Rahat is monumental and just remembering it would be more than any pilgrimage to us.''

The message is signed Brothers in Arms and the IAF family. And as a postscript says - We will rest, but only after the rescue mission.

True to that, the Air Force has continued its rescue operations without a pause. Air Chief NAK Browne is in Uttarakhand today to boost the morale of his men.