New Delhi: A report on the Mi-17 V5 Helicopter crash on December 8, 2021, which claimed the lives of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 10 others, stated that the crash occurred due to “Human Error”. The report by a Standing Committee on Defence tabled in the Lok Sabha asserted that the incident was a result of human error by the aircrew present in the chopper.

The crash had also killed Group Captain Varun Singh along with the CDS. In the report, the crash was attributed to the pilot’s spatial disorientation after entering clouds caused by an unexpected change in weather conditions.

As per the report, submitted before the Lok Sabha, the Mi-17 V5, carrying CDS General Bipin Rawat and others, crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu after taking off from Sulur Air Force base about three years back on December 8. Reportedly, the aircraft was en route to the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington.

During the preliminary inquiry, the investigating team revealed that the crash occurred as a result of the pilot’s loss of control due to a Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) after entering cloud cover.

The report also highlighted that “Human Error (Aircrew)” was the most frequent cause of accidents during the Thirteenth Defence Plan period (2017-2022), accounting for 16 out of 34 recorded accidents, including this tragic incident.