Army copter crashes in Bhutan, both pilots killed

New Delhi: The Indian Army’s Cheetah helicopter crashed in eastern Bhutan on Friday afternoon in which both the pilots were killed.

The pilots have been identified as Lt. Col. Rajneesh Parmar from the Indian Army and co-pilot Capt. Kalzang Wangdi from the Royal Bhutan Army.

“The single engine Cheetah helicopter was piloted by one Indian and one Royal Bhutan Army pilots. Indian Army helicopter crashed at 1 pm near Yonphula in Bhutan.  It  went out of radio and visual contact soon after 1 pm. Helicopter was on way from Khirmu (Arunanchal) to Bhutan on duty,” said a senior army official.

The Indian Army undertakes training of pilots as part of the Indian Military Training Team.

According to reports in Bhutan media, the helicopter was approaching Yonphula to land when the accident happened.

The weather around the time of the accident was reported to be bad with thick fog reducing visibility.

The ground search and rescue  was launched immediately.

“The wreckage has been located. There are no survivors,” said the Indian Army official.

A high-level inquiry has been ordered.

The Indian Army maintains a training mission in Bhutan which is known as the Indian Military Training Team. It is responsible for the training of the Bhutan army.

All officers from Bhutan Army are trained at the Indian Army’s officer training institutes National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune, and the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun.