The Russian-American aviator, Igor Sikorsky, who pioneered the rotor configurations of the modern-day helicopters, famously said, “It would be right to say that the helicopter’s role in saving lives represents one of the most glorious pages in the history of human flight.” True as that might be, the invariable admixture of humans, machines, skills and the unpredictable prevailing conditions, has too often led to unavoidable accidents. The latest tragedy of the Mi-17V5 helicopter with the Indian Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, along with 13 others on board, is a national catastrophe beyond words.
The Indian Armed Forces, like any other international armed forces, have known the risks and vagaries that accompany the combatant-machine-operating space experiences. In 1963, an Aerospatiale Alouette III helicopter crash in Poonch had accounted for six senior officers i.e., Lt General Daulet Singh, Lt General Bikram Singh, Air Vice-Marshal Pinto, Maj General NKD Nanvati, Brigadier Uberoi and Flt Lieut SS Sodhi. In 1993, Army Commander Eastern Command, Lt General Jameel Mahmood, was killed with his wife in a helicopter crash in Bhutan whilst on an official visit.