A technical fault that led to an outage of engine power caused an army Cheetah helicopter to crash in the mountainous Tangtze region near Leh on May 20, officials familiar with preliminary investigations said on Sunday.
The two pilots – a lieutenant colonel and a major – and the third passenger Major General Sachin Mehta, Commanding General of the Karoo-based 3rd Infantry Division, survived the crash with minor injuries, as first reported by HT.
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An investigative court ordered by the military to investigate the cause of the accident is likely to submit its final report within two months, the officials said.
The officials, requesting anonymity, said that the Cheetah fleet has not been stopped and continues to carry out frontline duties in the sensitive Ladakh sector. One of the officials said: “A technical failure killed the engine. Weather conditions were good at the time of the accident. The helicopters were allowed to fly after conducting precautionary engine checks.”
Cheetah variant of Cheetah Chopper
The crashed helicopter was a modified version of the Cheetah. The upgraded type, known as Chital, is powered by a TM333-2M2 engine and equipped with an automatic standby engine control system.
Another official said that the fleet of aircraft usually stops flying after an unexplained accident, but the Panthers will continue flying because the cause of the latest accident is known.
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The latest incident has once again highlighted the need for rapid replacement of the aging Cheetah and Cheetak fleets, as these helicopters were designed six decades ago. More than 15 Cheetah and Cheetak helicopters have crashed in the past 10 to 12 years, resulting in several deaths and renewed scrutiny of their safety record.
The Army will begin phasing out its older fleets within a year or two, replacing them with new light helicopters over the next eight to 10 years, as part of the Army Aviation Corps’ drive to modernize its capabilities. The planned two-pronged replacement approach includes the introduction of locally produced LUH helicopters and the leasing of similar helicopters as an interim solution to meet critical requirements. The army needs about 250 new helicopters.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has produced 625 Cheetah and Chetak helicopters for use in various defense services. He no longer builds it, but is responsible for its maintenance and repair.
In 1970, HAL signed an agreement with French airline Aerospatiale to produce Cheetahs, eight years after it partnered with another French company, Sud-Aviation (now Airbus), to manufacture Cheetahs.
Officials said the current fleet is airworthy and has only a few years of technical life remaining.
