Tri-services inquiry report on ‘CDS Chopper Crash’ likely to be submitted on December 31

The probe team is headed by Air Marshal Manvendra Singh and includes two Brigadier-rank officers from the Army and Navy.

The tri-services inquiry team was formed to probe the December 8 Mi-17V5 chopper crash in Coonoor in which 14 people including the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 12 other military personnel lost their lives, likely to submit their report to the government by December 31.

According to a media report, “The inquiry report is expected to be submitted to the central government by December 31. The detailed report has been prepared on the ground by the officials and thorough analysis of the data received from the black box.”

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During the investigation, the tri-services also sought help from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of the chopper for the probe in which the country lost its first and longest-serving military officer General Bipin Rawat.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) said the report was yet to be submitted. General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 12 other military personnel were travelling in a Mi-17V5 helicopter that crashed minutes after taking off from Sulur Air Force Station in Tamil Nadu.

The helicopter was heading to Wellington, where General Rawat was due to visit Defence Services Staf College (DSSC). Group Captain Varun Singh who was the only survivor in the chopper crash in Tamil Nadu on December 8 was treated at a military hospital in Bengaluru and later succumbed to the injuries on December 15.