Varun Singh, a Group Captain who survived the chopper crash, will be shifted to Bengaluru
Officials familiar with the situation said on Thursday that Group Captain Varun Singh, the sole survivor of the Mi-17 chopper crash in Coonoor on Wednesday that killed 13 people, including Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, is maintaining vital signs at the Military Hospital in Wellington.
Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor of the Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper crash that killed Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and 13 others, is in critical condition and has been flown to Bengaluru for treatment.
IAF Group Captain Varun Singh has been transferred from the Army hospital at Wellington, Tamil Nadu, to the Command Hospital in Bengaluru.
Singh’s health is considered to be critical but stable, according to official sources in Coimbatore, and he has had three procedures so far.
On Wednesday afternoon, CDS General Rawat, 63, his wife Madhulika Raje Singh Rawat, and 11 others were murdered in one of the deadliest plane mishaps involving India’s senior military command and a setback to the country’s ongoing military reforms, the largest since Independence.
Rawat was speaking to faculty and student officers at the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Wellington. At the DSSC, the group captain is in charge of the staff.
The crash has been the subject of an investigation. When the chopper went down near Coonoor, it was on its way from Sulur air base to the DSSC. On an Embraer plane from the IAF’s VVIP communication squadron, the CDS, his wife, and seven others flew from New Delhi to Sulur.
He was flying a test sortie in the LCA on October 12, 2020, when an emergency arose due to a breakdown of cockpit pressurisation at high altitude.
“This was a once-in-a-lifetime catastrophic failure that had never happened before.” While in normal attitude, the aircraft quickly lost altitude, pitching up and down violently… Singh’s citation stated, “Despite being under great physical and mental stress in a life-threatening scenario, he showed remarkable coolness and regained control of the aircraft, thereby demonstrating exceptional flying skills.”
“To safely land the fighter plane, he exhibited amazing daring and expertise.” The pilot went above and beyond the call of duty by landing the plane with calculated risks. This enabled a precise investigation of the fault on the fighter, as well as the implementation of preventive steps to avoid recurrence,” it had noted.
