CDS Bipin Rawat's helicopter crash: What Rajnath Singh said in Parliament, and 6 updates

India’s first Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, along with 12 others, died in a tragic helicopter crash yesterday, December 8. The untimely demise of India's top Army official sent shockwaves across the country.

Questions are mounting as to how the accident took place.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has cleared some air on the high-profile crash. Here are the latest updates on the story:

1. RAJNATH SINGH'S STATEMENT IN PARLIAMENT

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made a formal statement in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on CDS Bipin Rawat’s helicopter crash. These are the highlights from his speech:

Timeline of the events:

11.48 am: Mi-17V5 helicopter carrying the CDS and 12 others depart from Sulur air base in Tamil Nadu

12.15 pm: The helicopter was supposed to land at Wellington air base

12.08 pm: Wellington air traffic control lost contact with the helicopter

Locals were the first responders. They spotted a fire in the forest in Coonoor, and discovered it to be a chopper. The locals tried to rescue whoever they could at the time.

- Group Captain Varun Singh, who is the sole survivor of the helicopter crash, is currently on life support at Wellington Military Hospital.

- Mortal remains of the 13 deceased will be brought to New Delhi by this evening. The funeral of CDS Bipin Rawat will be carried out with full military honours. The funeral rites of other military personnel will be performed with appropriate military honours.

- IAF has ordered a tri-service investigation into the crash. The investigation will be led by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh. The inquiry team reached Wellington yesterday, December 8, and has already begun the probe. Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari also reached Wellington yesterday to take stock of the situation.

2. WREATH LAYING CEREMONY AT WELLINGTON

#WATCH | Tamil Nadu: Bodies of those who died in the military chopper crash brought to Madras Regimental Centre from Military Hospital, Wellington in Nilgiris district pic.twitter.com/IaqlYwE3EX

— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2021

Mortal remains of the 13 deceased were brought to the Madras Regimental Centre from Military Hospital, Wellington. A wreath laying ceremony was held. 

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Governor RN Ravi also paid their tributes to the deceased at the wreath laying ceremony.

Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin pays floral tribute to CDS Bipin Rawat and others who died in the Coonoor chopper crash, at Madras Regimental Centre in Nilgiris district pic.twitter.com/1b9vB0yOct

— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2021

Locals in Tamil Nadu showered petals and chanted 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' as the mortal remains of CDS Bipin Rawat and 12 other deceased were brought to the Sulur air base.   

#WATCH| Tamil Nadu: Locals shower flower petals & chant 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' as ambulances carrying mortal remains of CDS Gen Rawat, his wife & other personnel who died in Coonoor military chopper crash, arrive at Sulur airbase from Madras Regimental Centre in Nilgiris district pic.twitter.com/fhVIDaf5FL

— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2021

3. WHO ALL DIED IN THE HELICOPTER CRASH?

• CDS Bipin Rawat
• Mrs Madhulika Rawat
• Brig Lakhbinder Singh Lidder
• Staff Officer Lt Col Harjinder Singh
• Squadron Leader Kuldeep Singh
• Wing Commander Prithvi Singh Chauhan
• Junior Warrant Officer Rana Pratap Das
• Junior Warrant Officer Arakkal Pradeep
• Havildar Satpal Rai
• Naik Gursewak Singh
• Naik Jitendra Kumar
• Lance Naik Vivek Kumar
• Lance Naik B Sai Teja

The sole survivor of the tragic crash is Group Captain Varun Singh, who is currently on life support at the Wellington Military Hospital. 

4. FORENSICS AND BLACK BOX

Critical equipment of IAF Mi-17 that crashed near Coonoor near Tamil Nadu recovered by Air Force officials from the spot pic.twitter.com/4AD3NEHBdZ

— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2021

A team of forensics reached the helicopter crash site near Kattery in Coonoor today. ANI reported that some critical equipment from the Mi-17V5 have been recovered from the site and taken for analysis.

ANI also reported citing sources that the flight data recorder or the black box and cockpit voice recorder of the ill-fated chopper have been recovered. These were reportedly found after the search was expanded from 300 metres to 1 km at the crash site.

A black box is actually a bright orange electronic box which records 88 vital parameters about a flight. The information includes the airspeed, altitude, cockpit conversations, and air pressure.

5. VIDEO PURPOTEDLY SHOWS FINAL MOMENTS

#WATCH | Final moments of Mi-17 chopper carrying CDS Bipin Rawat and 13 others before it crashed near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu yesterday(Video Source: Locals present near accident spot) pic.twitter.com/jzdf0lGU5L

— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2021

A video being shared on social media and also tweeted by ANI seems to show the IAF chopper in the sky before its final moments. The chopper is seen disappearing into a mist. The locals videographed are heard asking whether the helicopter had crashed.

6. CDS'S HELICOPTER CRASH GRIM REMINDER OF TWO PREVIOUS CRASHES

The Tamil Nadu helicopter crash is a grim reminder of two similar accidents involving IAF helicopters.

An IAF chopper, which crashed in 1963 in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch, killed 6 officers. It is considered one of the biggest air accidents in the country’s military aviation history. 

Another IAF chopper crash was reported in 1952 near Lucknow. Fortunately, the crash did not kill anyone on board. In fact, some of those on board, Lieutenant General SM Shrinagesh, the then General Officer Commanding in-Chief of the Western Command, and Major General KS Thimayya, the QuarterMaster General, went on to become Army Chiefs.  

In yet another military chopper crash in 2019 in Poonch sector, the onboard personnel were injured.

CDS Bipin Rawat himself had narrowly escaped a helicopter crash in 2015.

7. WHO WILL BE THE NEXT CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF?

With the unfortunate passing of India's first-ever CDS Bipin Rawat, the Narendra Modi government has the monumental task of appointing the next in line. So far, no information has come forth as to who will helm the position of the tri-service chief. To read more about it, click here.