Military Flight Safety

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darshan
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by darshan »

Emergency landing of Army chopper in rural Kheda
https://www.deshgujarat.com/2021/03/07/ ... ral-kheda/
due to technical issue related to hydraulic oil leakage ...
Dozens of people gathered in the open field to see an army helicopter after it landed in the farm. In fact this caused traffic jam on the highway. Army helicopter IA 1105 had lieutenant general, AOS officer, Colonel, pilot(2), technician – total 6 persons on board.
https://www.jetphotos.com/registration/IA-1105
ramana
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by ramana »

Glad they landed safely.
Long ago in 1963 one helicopter crash wiped out the senior keadership of IAF and IA.
chetak
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by chetak »

An IAF MiG-21 Bison Aircraft of Indian Air Force crashed this morning while taking off for a combat training mission from Gwalior.

It looks like the pilot (Group Captain GUPTA) lost his life in the tragic accident

TV news confirms the accident

ॐ शांति
Last edited by chetak on 17 Mar 2021 14:33, edited 1 time in total.
RajaRudra
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by RajaRudra »

Sad - Pilot Killed in action(Combat training) in a Mig 21 accident.

Om Shanti

https://www.timesnownews.com/india/arti ... led/733517
Manish_P
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Manish_P »

A Tragic loss.

May god give strength to his family to bear his loss

Om Shanti
Aditya_V
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Aditya_V »

Condolences to the Pilot,

https://twitter.com/IAF_MCC/status/1372 ... on-2392614
A MiG-21 Bison aircraft of IAF was involved in a fatal accident this morning, while taking off for a combat training mission at an airbase in central India.
The IAF lost Group Captain A Gupta in the tragic accident. IAF expresses deep condolences and stands firmly with the family members. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause of the accident.
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Rupesh »

Big loss for the nation. OM Shanti.
Rakesh
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Rakesh »

The sad irony of today's fatal MiG-21 crash
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/i ... 2021-03-17
17 March 2021
Rakesh
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Rakesh »

https://twitter.com/SuboSrivastava/stat ... 99138?s=20 ----> Join me in paying homage to Group Captain Ashish Gupta laid down his life during a combat training operation while taking off in a MiG-21 Bison at Gwalior. We always be indebted to your service. Jai Hind!

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Vivek K
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Vivek K »

Om Shanti! Thank you Sir!
Varoon Shekhar
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Varoon Shekhar »

Thank you for your ultimate sacrifice, Ashish Gupta.
Mort Walker
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Mort Walker »

Very sad. Group Captain Gupta leaves behind two sons and a wife. Time to ground all MiG-21s.
Aditya_V
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Aditya_V »

Senior fighter pilot dies in MiG 21 crash at Gwalior
https://indianexpress.com/article/india ... p_js_v=0.1
The aircraft, inducted into the Air Force in early 1960s, are often called the “flying coffins” due to their poor safety record. According to official data, more than 20 MiG 21s have been involved in accidents since 2010, according to data shared by the Defence Ministry with the Parliament at different times. Between 2003 and 2013, 38 MiG 21 aircraft crashed. Official data also shows that more than 170 pilots have lost their lives in MiG 21 accidents.
People aware of the details mentioned that the Air Force still has four squadrons of MiG 21, and even though their phasing out was supposed to begin by 2022, the current depleted squadron strength may have delayed that slightly. However, all the four squadrons of the MiG 21 Bisons are likely to be phased out over the next five to six years.

Aviation expert Angad Singh, project coordinator with the Observer Research Foundation think tank, mentioned that the Air Force received the first upgraded MiG 21 Bison aircraft from Russia in September 2001, and the last of these over 120 fighter jets was received in 2008.
The indigenously designed and manufactured Light Combat Aircraft Tejas were to replace the ageing fleet of the MiG 21, even after the upgrades had extended their lives. However, the delay in the Tejas programme has affected the timeline for the MiG 21s being phased out.
God speed that Tejas MK1A sticks to the schedule.
nachiket
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by nachiket »

It is the same incident as the one few days ago which was discussed here. For a moment I had my heart in my mouth thinking there had been another crash.
Rakesh
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Rakesh »

Sorry Nachiket. I had moved a whole bunch from posts from the IAF: News & Discussion thread into other threads.
SSridhar
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by SSridhar »

nachiket wrote:It is the same incident as the one few days ago which was discussed here. For a moment I had my heart in my mouth thinking there had been another crash.
When I see an unread post for this thread, I get the same sinking feeling.
sajaym
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by sajaym »

https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/ ... jab-705975
There was an aircraft accident last night involving a Bison aircraft of IAF in the western sector. The pilot, Sqn Ldr Abhinav Choudhary, sustained fatal injuries. IAF condoles the tragic loss and stands firmly with the bereaved family, Indian Air Force tweeted.
:(
Manish_P
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Manish_P »

:(

May the almighty give strength to his family.

Om Shanti!
Vivek K
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Vivek K »

Tragic loss of a frontline warrior! God give his family the strength. Om Shanti!
wig
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by wig »

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/c ... 54982.html

Moga villagers to install statue of IAF pilot who died in MIG crash

excerpts
Residents of Langeana Nawan in Moga district have decided to install a statue of Squadron Leader Abhinav Choudhary (29), who died after his MIG-21 fighter jet crashed near the village on May 2
The locals said the Indian Air Force pilot died in an attempt to save the lives of hundreds of residents of Langeana Nawan and adjoining Langeana Purana village as the fighter jet could have crashed into residential areas. The two villages have a population of nearly 5,000.

They have already approached sculptors to make the statue of Choudhary.

Also, an akhand path (non-stop recitation of Guru Granth Sahib) started at Langeana Purana on Wednesday in the squadron leader’s memory and a bhog ceremony will be held on Friday.
Manish_P
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Manish_P »

^ That is a very very nice gesture by the villagers. My humble respects to these true salt of the earth types. The departed Squad. Leader would have appreciated the reciprocal gratitude of the people he saved.
basant
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by basant »

IAF transport aircraft catches fire upon landing at Delhi airport, crew escapes unhurt

Image
An Indian Air Force (IAF) Dornier 228 transport aircraft caught fire upon landing at the Delhi airport on Sunday evening. A probe has been ordered into the incident.

Sources told India Today that a fire was observed on the wheel of the IAF Dornier 228. The airport's rescue and fire fighting services reached the site and extinguished the fire on the wheel of the turboprop airliner, added sources.
sankum
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by sankum »

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.timesn ... ake/794072

Rudra helicopter crash. Conflicting reports on 2 pilots.
sankum
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by sankum »

https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.tribunei ... ing-292307

Tourist witness, Technical snag ,Pilots missing, divers at work.
Manish_P
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Manish_P »

I fear the worst outcome as there is still no news of the pilots other than the recovery of their I cards and helmets.

The wait is terrible for the families :(

Perhaps a relook is required and wearing of inflatable life jackets (with beacon) needs to be mandatory SOP even for flying for short period over water bodies.
Pratyush
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Pratyush »

Every time this thread moves to the top my heart sinks.

Let's see what the COI finds.
wig
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by wig »

https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/black-bo ... l-missing/

Black box, pilots still missing of the Helicopter crash in Ranjit Sagar Dam
extracts
Army today located major parts of chopper underwater but the ‘black box’ and the pilots are still missing even after 72 hours of searches carried out by the Army and other agencies engaged in deep waters of Ranjit Sagar Dam in Basholi tehsil of Kathua district.

The search operation, police sources said, resumed in the morning, and was once again suspended as there was no clue about the missing pilots but the location where the major parts of the chopper had submerged, was found by the search teams.
Two pilots of the ALH Dhruv helicopter of the Indian Army went missing after their chopper crashed into Ranjit Sagar Dam on Tuesday morning.
“The location was searched by the teams but there is no trace of the missing pilot and the co-pilot of the helicopter,” they said.
Police said that the black box has also not yet been found, so ascertain the exact cause of the accident. However, the search operation was suspended and will resume again on Saturday.
The teams of Army, Navy, Air Force and Jammu and Kashmir Police are jointly conducting a search operation to trace the helicopter and the missing pilots.
“As per search teams, nothing is visible inside the lake under 150 feet deep water due to silt,” they said.
“Divers are also facing a lot of trouble. The dam administration has been requested to get high resolution cameras, which may help to expedite the search operation,” police sources added.
Ranjit Sagar Dam shares boundaries with Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, Punjab’s Pathankot district and a portion of Himachal Pradesh.
“Though, the location has been identified and we are quite hopeful of recovering the ‘black box’ soon but the search for the missing pilots remains the challenge,” an official said.
As per reports, a nomad noticed the chopper crash but he did not see anybody coming out of the water, after which the search operation was launched, police asserted.
“There are no whereabouts about the missing pilots while searches were also carried out in the nearby forest area assuming that the pilots might have managed ejection from the copter sensing trouble but nothing was found,” they said.
AdityaM
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by AdityaM »

My brother Capt. Jayant Joshi's hepter crashed in Ranjit Sagar Dam on Tuesday 2nd August.
Almost 1 week later, he has not been recovered. I wish I could explain the agony of my parents.
Operations to extract the wreckage are ongoing at a snail's pace with no end in sight.

If the pilots are in the wreckage, then the condition of the remains after 1 week in the water will leave my parents in a shock no one should experience.
For a second generation officer (my mother has served ~40 yrs in the Army), the apathy of the @adgpi is astounding.

We have lost all hope at this point. The anticipation, the wait and day after day of futile search by the Navy and the Army is a torture for our mother who has to wait everyday to hear any news.
From all of you I beg for prayers, and from @adgpi - Pls send my brother back
https://twitter.com/neel92joshi/status/ ... 48320?s=21
chetak
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by chetak »

I am so very sorry about the loss and my heartfelt condolences to the two families, but one just can't see the point of these last few posts.

Don't mistake me, but I just cannot fathom exactly what is being highlighted and why.

Life in the military is dangerous the world over and casualties are almost a daily occurrence due to the very nature of the job.

this public wailing and breast beating by this neel gentleman is not going to bring anyone back and seems most undignified to honor the memory of his beloved brother and his parent's loss of a dear son in such a demeaning manner.

What about the second pilot and his equally affected family. They are waiting quietly for news of their loved one too.

Even his name is not mentioned and his family would obviously be just as distraught, if not more.

this neel gentleman identifies as "Heart is left of centre". OK, no problem, but why does he needlessly berate the IA when the authorities are obviously doing all they can to recover the bodies and bring closure to the two families concerned.

Why has he copied/tagged so many journos in his tweets and what does he expect them to do.

(@DefenceMinIndia, @bsdhanoa, @_sabanaqvi, @PMOIndia, @BDUTT, @Vedmalik1, @Tiny_Dhillon, @atahasnain53, @manaman_chhina, @sneheshphilip, @ShivAroor, @manupubby, @RanaAyyub)


The CO and other officers from the unit to which the crashed chopper and pilots belonged would already be camping at the scene of the accident trying their best to expedite things. They would have reached the scene in the shortest possible time, after they heard of the unfortunate mishap.

Rescue teams are already on the job. The IA is a caring army and always takes care of its own without fail or needless reminders

If recovery is taking time, then there may be other problems associated with the lake/scene of the accident that is not being brought out in the public domain. Is the accident area terrorist infested or could the lake waters be crocodile infested, thereby slowing down efforts because the safety of the divers is involved, does anyone know the accident area well enough to enlighten us

Last but not the least: how did a twin engine helo go down so quickly and that too, over a deep lake
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Shameek »

^^ As per the linked report physical conditions under water are hindering the search:
Kotwal further said, “The water is not clear...it’s all muddy. Naval divers don’t share much technical details but they are using technology, equipment and divers. The lake bottom is muddy and full of silt, boulders, caves besides an uneven surface.”

“It is a difficult place to search for a chopper or bodies. The searches are on since August 3 morning. There are 10 to 12 divers at the job to trace the wreckage,” he said.
LINK
wig
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by wig »

https://jknewswire.com/search-continues ... sagar-dam/
SEARCH CONTINUES FOR PILOTS AND INDIAN ARMY HELICOPTER IN RANJIT SAGAR DAM
extracted from the above
The expanse of dam is 25km long, 8km wide and more than 500 feet deep.

Indian Army is coordinating the efforts of Indian Navy deep divers team consisting of 02 Officers, 04 JCOs & 24 Other Ranks, Indian Army Special Forces divers team consisting of 02 Officers, 01 JCO & 24 Other Ranks, multi beam sonars, side scanners, remotely operated vehicles and underwater manipulators which have been flown in from Chandigarh, Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi and pressed into action at crash site of dam.

Search operation continue unabated inspite of bad weather and rain. Expertise and equipment of Army, Navy, IAF, NDRF, SDRF, NGOs, State Police, Dam Authority and private firms from all over the country have also been into action. This deep underwater operation is especially challenging due to the near zero visibility below 50 meters owing to the colloidal nature of water in this season which adversely impacts accuracy of sonars and other sensors. Experts, specialised equipment and divers are being continuously flown in and international assistance is also being sought. No efforts are being spared for early conclusion of the search operation. A small area of 60m by 60m has been localized and special sonar equipment flown in from Kochi is being employed to enable the search operations to enter their final phase.
everybody is giving her/ his best to locate the missing pilots and machine
Pratyush
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Pratyush »

It's quite an interesting challenge. Will the sonar have the resolution needed to identify the shape of the downed chopper.

Why is the beacon of the machine not getting picked up by the recovery teams?

Did the machine even have a beacon for such a situation?
chetak
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by chetak »

Pratyush wrote:It's quite an interesting challenge. Will the sonar have the resolution needed to identify the shape of the downed chopper.

Why is the beacon of the machine not getting picked up by the recovery teams?

Did the machine even have a beacon for such a situation?


If the wreckage has sunk into the soft silt and has got covered over, even sonar may find it difficult to pick up traces.

for free divers, 500 feet depth is way beyond their capabilities. 60-100 feet is the general norm and because of visibility issues, the divers will have to rely entirely on touch and feel only making the search much slower.

to the best of my knowledge, IA choppers operating so far inland are not usually equipped with any kind of underwater beacons.
Pratyush
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Pratyush »

The beacon doesn't have to be seperate for over water applications. It can be a simple blackbox unit that has this functionality built-in to it. Like all civilian black box units have. In times of war this beacon can be switched off. To maintain security in case of the aircraft getting shot down.

This is IIRC, the 4th such instance in the last few years.

1) AN 32 enroute to ANC.
2) 2 seperate cost guard Dornier in bay of Bengal.
3) this is the fourth one.

The existence of a beacon would have made life easier for the recovery crews.
chetak
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by chetak »

Pratyush wrote:The beacon doesn't have to be seperate for over water applications. It can be a simple blackbox unit that has this functionality built-in to it. Like all civilian black box units have. In times of war this beacon can be switched off. To maintain security in case of the aircraft getting shot down.

This is IIRC, the 4th such instance in the last few years.

1) AN 32 enroute to ANC.
2) 2 seperate cost guard Dornier in bay of Bengal.
3) this is the fourth one.

The existence of a beacon would have made life easier for the recovery crews.
You are talking about an ELT, (emergency locator beacon) which is impact operated and the ones I know activate via a g switch usually set for 11g. This is normally carried by fixed wing aircraft and is a standalone unit that is easily retrofitted. It is also detachable and portable and can easily be carried by the survivors to help in vectoring rescuers to their location. The Indian forces may already be using such beacons.

once activated, it transmits on the emergency distress frequency and this signal is easily picked up by many orbiting satellites which send out alarm messages to ground stations. The location of the crash can be triangulated very quickly because multiple satellites receive the same distress signal. Water attenuates radio signals very strongly, especially at higher frequencies, so it may not be too effective in case of an accident over water where the wreckage has submerged.

The distress frequencies are 121.5 MHz for civilian use, 243.0 MHz for military use, and these frequencies are monitored worldwide on a 24X7 basis

IN helos use an SLB, (sonar locator beacon) that transmits sonar signals underwater to help rescue/recovery. The batteries usually do not last beyond a couple of days.

Not personally aware if the IA helos carry an ELT.

For sure, they will not carry an SLB when operating so far inland.

Coast Guard Dorniers carry an ELT as part of their standard fit.
chetak
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by chetak »

Search ops for Indian Army pilots & helicopter which had crashed into the Ranjit Sagar Dam (J&K) has intensified with Submarine Rescue Unit of Indian Navy being flown in to explore digitally located wreckage at depth of approx 80-100 mtr: Lt Col Devender Anand, PRO (Defence)
via@ANI·1h 5:56 pm · 14 Aug 2021


Image
Manish_P
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Manish_P »

Any reason why the unit was not called in earlier? It is more than 10 days now...
basant
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by basant »

Xposting from LCA thread.

The link to the article is here: 1st Major LCA Tejas Mid-Air Scare Wins Pilot Shaurya Chakra

God bless the brave pilot! Can't be prouder of him. What a close shave for the programme.
The citation to his award details the incident in full:

Wing Commander Varun Singh (27987) Flying (Pilot) is a pilot in a Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Squadron. On 12 Oct 20, he was flying a system check sortie in LCA, away from parent base, after major rectification of Flight Control System (FCS) and pressurisation system (life support environment control system).

During the sortie, the cockpit pressurisation failed at high altitude. He correctly identified the failure and initiated a descent to lower altitude for landing. While descending, the Flight Control System failed and led to total loss of control of the aircraft. This was an unprecedented catastrophic failure that had never occurred. There was a rapid loss of altitude while in usual attitude, with the aircraft pitching up and down viciously going to the extremities of G limits. Despite being in extreme physical and mental stress in an extreme life-threatening situation, he maintained exemplary composure and regained control of the aircraft, thereby exhibiting exceptional flying skill. Soon thereafter, at about 10,000 feet, the aircraft again experienced total loss of control with vicious manoeuvring and uncontrollable pitching. Under such a scenario, the pilot was at liberty to abandon aircraft. Faced with a potential hazard to his own life, he displayed extraordinary courage and skill to safely land the fighter aircraft. The pilot went beyond the call of duty and landed the aircraft taking calculated risks. This allowed an accurate analysis of the fault on the indigenously designed fighter and further institution of preventive measures against recurrence. Due to his high order of professionalism, composure and quick decision making, even at the peril to his life, he not only averted the loss of an LCA, but also safeguarded civilian property and population on ground.

For this act of exceptional gallantry, Wg Cdr Varun Singh is conferred with the Shaurya Chakra.
basant
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by basant »

Two other citations of brave and terrific pilots of Su 30-MKIs (taken from twitter post of Shiv Aroor). Salute the heroes!

Image

Image
Cyrano
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Re: Military Flight Safety

Post by Cyrano »

Hair raising incidents ! How lucky we are to have such exceptional pilots !

These incidents also demonstrate how carefully IAF selects cadets with the right aptitude & attitude and thens trains them superbly to produce such incredible pilots who raise to the unexpected challenge with sang froid and succeed !

Jai Hind !!
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