JAMMU: In an unfortunate incident on Friday 11 March, a Cheetah helicopter of the Indian army crashed in an area closed to the Gurez sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
Reports quoting officials stated that before the accident the helicopter was on its way to pick up the sick BSF (Border Security Force) personnel.
One pilot was killed in the plane mishap and another one sustained severe injuries, other information related to the incident is awaited as informed by Indian Army officials.
The Cheetah helicopter crashed in the Gujran Nallah region near the Line of Control with Pakistan in Tulail of Gurez Tehsil located in the Bandipora district of Jammu & Kashmir.
Meanwhile, rescue operations are going on at the site with teams sent on foot and the air inspection teams are looking for survivors.
However, the cause of the chopper crash is not yet known but according to officials it was about to land but drifted away due to weather conditions.
A cheetah helicopter is a single-engine chopper that doesn't consist of some of the very important features such as weather radar, moving map display and ground proximity warning system.
The helicopter does not have an autopilot system and its increase the risk in such conditions when the pilot is lost in between bad weather condition.
These choppers were made under license by HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) in the country. Cheetah helicopters are 5 seaters with versatile, multipurpose and multi-role specifications.
The Army has a fleet of 200 Cheetah helicopters. More than 30 crashes had occurred in the last few years that resulted in the killing of 40 officers.
The Army headquarters had even regarded the Cheetah helicopters as death traps as 80% of these helicopters have outlived their lifespan of thirty years.
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