Original title: The top general of the Indian army crashed and died, a natural disaster or a man-made disaster?
The Indian Air Force Mi-17V5 transport helicopter carried by the Chief of Indian Defense Staff Biping Rawat and his wife crashed in Tamil Nadu. 13 people, including the Rawat and his wife, have been confirmed dead. This unexpected incident immediately caused shocks in India and even the world. After all, it is indeed rare for senior generals in major powers to die as a result of the crash, and there are divergent opinions on the cause of the crash.
The old driver summed it up. There are two main reasons for Indian speculation:
The first possibility is a mechanical failure.
For the Indian army, the crash is really “unusual.” Since the beginning of this year, the Indian Air Force’s MiG-21 fighter jets have dropped four.
But for the Mi-17V5 helicopter that crashed this time, the Indian media showed two completely different attitudes.
The faction represented by “India Express” insists that the Mi-17V5 is “one of the most advanced and safe transport helicopters in the world.” According to reports, in 2008 the Indian government and Russia signed a procurement contract for 80 Mi-17V5 helicopters, valued at US$1.3 billion. The first batch was delivered to India in 2013 (or 2012), and the last batch was delivered in 2018. “The Mi-17V5 is a trustworthy helicopter. It is the latest model in the Russian Mi-8/17 helicopter family. It is used in all Indian dignitaries transport activities, including the prime minister.”
According to reports, the Mi-17V5 is operated by three crew members, including pilots, co-pilots and flight engineers. Its cruising speed is 230 kilometers per hour, and the longest range can reach 1,180 kilometers with the auxiliary fuel tank. The aircraft is equipped with modern avionics and can operate under any geographical and climatic conditions, no matter day, night or bad weather conditions.
Indian websites such as CNN-News18 have criticized the safety of Mi-17V5. According to reports, in the past 9 years, the Indian Air Force has crashed 7 Mi-17 series helicopters, killing at least 30 people.
These tragic accidents include: February 27, 2019: A Mi-17V5 helicopter of the Indian Air Force crashed shortly after taking off from Srinagar Airport; on April 3, 2018, a Mi-17V5 helicopter attempted to land in North Akan The helicopter crashed on the helipad near the Debang Kdanas Temple; October 6, 2017: A Mi-17V5 helicopter was in the high-altitude mountainous area of the so-called “Arunachal Pradesh” (that is, the southern part of Tibet) The crash killed all 7 people on board; on June 25, 2013, a Mi-17V5 helicopter carrying out a rescue mission of the Indian Air Force crashed…
The old driver said that the possibility of mechanical failure of the helicopter cannot be ruled out. After all, the reliability of the Mi-17 series helicopter is not high. On the same day that Lavat suffered a crash, a Mi-17 helicopter crashed in Peru. A week ago, a Mi-17 helicopter crashed in Azerbaijan, killing 14 people.
What happened was this Mi-17V5 helicopter numbered 5164
The old driver checked the information and found something more “terrifying”. According to Indian media reports, the Mi-17V5 helicopter numbered 5164 by the Rawat couple was delivered to the Indian Air Force as early as 2012. As usual, the aircraft should have been overhauled so far. So where was it overhauled?
The Indian Air Force has set up a special assembly and overhaul facility for the Mi-17V5 helicopter in Chandigarh.
Considering the poor reputation of the Indian aviation industry’s maintenance capabilities, especially the “most of the aircraft maintained by Air India Stanley will crash”, the story is not groundless. It cannot be ruled out that the 5164 Mi-17V5 may crash due to poor maintenance. The possibility of accident.
The second possibility is “the death of an Indian official”.
This question comes from the “Hindus”. According to the report, when the crash occurred, the local weather forecast showed low clouds, high humidity and light rain. Why did the helicopter forcefully take off under such unfavorable weather conditions? Was it under pressure from the blind command of the Indian officials on board?
It is said that it is common for Indian officials to force helicopters to fly in unfavorable weather conditions. The related crashes can be listed in a long list: September 2, 2009, a helicopter carrying a senior official of Andhra Pradesh under bad weather conditions. Forced to take off, the result was a crash; on September 30, 2001, the former Civil Aviation Minister Madavrao Sindia insisted on going to Kanpur for a meeting in inclement weather. As a result, the plane crashed and all the people on board were killed; March 3, 2002 On Sunday, a helicopter carried by an Indian official crashed in heavy rain…
The Hindu newspaper analyzed that the Mi-17V5 crash site of the Lavat couple showed that the helicopter was flying at a low altitude. It is likely that the pilot was forced to hide under the clouds in order to maintain a clear line of sight, and eventually hit a tree and crashed. . According to reports, pilots are forced to fly in low visibility or when it rains. Bad weather conditions are likely to cause them to have visual illusions.
“Driven by the powerful engine of the Mi-17, the helicopter rotor will produce a strong downward impact airflow. When flying at low altitude, the impact of these airflows on tall trees is likely to cause an optical illusion. In this case, even if it is very Experienced pilots will also be confused. Once the helicopter stalls at low altitude, it is difficult to recover. Especially the Mi-17V5 engine is equipped with a full authority digital electronic control system, even if the pilot tries to force the engine to exert maximum thrust, the system will automatically Stop this behavior that may damage the engine.”
Of course, these are all speculations, and the final conclusion still has to wait for the Indian military’s investigation results.
Source: Privy Council Number 10
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