3 Army officers were killed and 1 Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) is critically injured after a Cheetah helicopter crashed at Sukna Base in West Bengal today on 30th Nov.
The incident took place around 10:30 am. Soon after the incident, Army officials along with local rescue team rushed to the spot.
Reportedly, it was a routine mission operating from Sukna and the crash happened when the chopper was landing.
The crash site is located inside Sukna military base, near the helipad. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
It is an unfortunate incident. One Junior Commissioned Officer is critical and rushed to a nearby hospital.
The area has been cordoned off and a departmental inquiry has been ordered.
The army’s 33 Corps is based at Sukna in West Bengal and all aircraft of the Army are run by Army Aviation Corps.
The five-seater Cheetah is a high-performance helicopter designed for operation over a wide range of weight, centre of gravity and altitude conditions, according to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).
It is a multi-role, multipurpose and rugged vehicle, which holds the world record – among all categories of helicopters – in high-altitude flying.
More details on this incident is awaited.
