General Bipin Rawat's tragic accident - The helicopter in question

An analysis of the MI-17 V5 helicopter that was involved in the crash involving General Rawat on 08th Dec.

General Bipin Rawat's tragic accident - The helicopter in question

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• The story: The helicopter that crashed killing India's CDS (Chief of Defence Staff) Bipin Rawat and others was an MI-17 V5, from Russia. The Indian Air Force had acquired it from Russia, and there had been earliaer mishaps in it. What went wrong with this machine this time?
• Technical details: The Indian Air Force helicopter that crashed on 08th Dec, 2021, with the CDS and others on board, belonged to the 109 Helicopter Unit, based out of Sulur air base in Tamil Nadu.

1. The helicopter was an MI-17 V5 variant, one of the latest versions of this Russian-made military transport helicopters
2. It belongs to the MI-8/17 family of military helicopters, and has a digital flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder on board to monitor flight parameters and cockpit conversations respectively
3. As per open source information based on the tail number of the helicopter that crashed, it was one of the first 2008 contract for 80 MI-17V5 medium lift helicopters. According The order was later expanded to 150 helicopters that were assembled at the 3 Base Repair Depot, Chandigarh.
4. This particular helicopter has many variants including a 36-seat one for carrying troops, another for carrying cargo transport, and one equipped with an emergency floatation system. A three-member flight crew including pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer fly the helicopter along with a loadmaster.

• Most modern machine: The MI-17 V5 is one of the most modern modifications of the Mi-8/17 helicopter series of Russian origin. The twin-engine, single-rotor-scheme helicopter with a tail rotor has an advanced performance design with a dolphin-type nose, an additional starboard sliding door and a portside widened sliding door.

1. It can carry equipment inside the cargo cabin or an external sling, drop tactical air assault teams, and carry the wounded.
2. The armament systems it can carry are wide, and include unguided rockets, 23 mm cannons and 250 rounds each. It can also be equipped with self-defence system against heat seeker missiles, along with a heavily armoured cockpit, and other features for enhanced survivability.
3. Its navigation and electronics display system is on a glass cockpit and shows the helicopter’s present position, an electronic terrain map and flight route, in-flight route reprogramming, details of multifunctioning of helicopter systems, flight information storage, on-board data processing etc.

• Most suited for poor weather: The helicopter has the capability to land on unprepared sites at night and in adverse weather conditions. The manufacturer, Kazan Helicopters, claims the helicopter has the ability to land on even on a single-engine configuration in an emergency.

1. The MI-17 V5 has a maximum speed of 250 km per hour and a cruise speed of 230 km per hour.
2. It has a service ceiling of 6,000 metres, and the flight range with its main fuel tanks is 675 km. With two auxiliary fuel tanks, it can fly up to 1,180 km. It can carry a maximum payload of 4,000 kg. The maximum take-off weight of the helicopter is 13,000 kg.

• The Indian fleet: The government awarded a contract to the Russian manufacturers for 80 MI-17 V5 helicopters, to begin with, in 2008 at a cost of $1.3 billion. Delivery began in 2013. The final batch of helicopters was delivered to the Indian Air Force in 2018. The IAF set up a repair and overhaul facility for its MI-17V5 helicopters at 3 Base Repair Depot in Chandigarh. This facility was inaugurated in Chandigarh in 2019. The helicopter, which can be used for both transport personnel and cargo, is the mainstay of the Indian Air Force’s medium-lift helicopter fleet. The last crash was reported less than a month ago on November 18, when a Mi-17v5 crashed in eastern Arunachal Pradesh due to a technical snag. All on board were, however, safe.
• Gunned down: In February 2019, when India and Pakistan were involved in a dogfight after the air strikes at Balakot by the Indian Air Force, an Mi-17 helicopter of the IAF, which had taken off from Srinagar, was gunned down in friendly fire, killing six airmen on board. Former Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria called it a “big mistake” and said action had been initiated against two IAF personnel. Apart from India, it is used by the air forces of nearly 50 countries, including Russia and Iraq, and is also part of the erstwhile Afghan Air Force.
• Other accidents:

1. FEB 1952: An IAF Devon aircraft carrying several high-ranking military officers, including two future Army Chiefs, crashed while flying from Lucknow to Delhi; there were no fatalities. Those on board included Lt General S M Shrinages and Maj Gen K S Thimayya, besides Maj Gen S P P Thorat, Maj Gen Sardanand Singh and Brig Ajaib Singh.
2. NOV 1963: This was one of the worst, that led to new rules being formed on not more than two officers travelling together. An Alouette III helicopter of the IAF crashed near Poonch in J&K, killing then Western Army Commander Lt Gen Daulat Singh; GOC, 15 Corps, Lt Gen Bikram Singh, GOC, 25 Infantry Division, Maj Gen N K D Nanavati; AOC-in, C Western Air Command, Air Vice Marshal Erlic Pinto; Commander, 93 Infantry, Brigadier SR Oberoi; and the pilot, Flight Lieutenant S S Sodhi.
3. MAY 1993: An IAF MI-17 helicopter crashed in Bhutan. Eight killed including the then GOC-in-C, Eastern Army Commander, Lt Gen Jameel Mehmood, and his wife and his military assistant.
4. NOV 1997: A Cheetah helicopter of the Army crashed in Arunachal Pradesh, killing Union Minister of State for Defence N V N Somu, Major General Ramesh Nagpal and two pilots (both majors).
5. JAN 2001: Brigadier Raman Sehgal and five others were killed when an Army helicopter crashed near Vaishno Devi Shrine.
6. OCT 2019: An Army helicopter with the then Northern Army Commander, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, crashed near Poonch shortly after take-off. The occupants suffered injuries.

• EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) Explain the various reasons helicopters crash while in use, despite the most modern avionics and control systems. (2) What are the structures of various air forces that are maintained by the Army, Navy and of course, the Air Force of India? Explain.

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