Lt Col Saurabh Yadav, one of the two pilots, loses life in Cheetah Helicopter crash at Tawang

New Delhi, Oct 6: An Indian Army pilot, Lt Col Saurabh Yadav, lost his life in a Cheetah helicopter crash near Tawang area of Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday (Oct 5) morning.

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"The Cheetah helicopter flying in forward areas near Tawang crashed at around 10:00 AM during a routine sortie. Both the pilots were evacuated to the nearest Military Hospital," Army officials said. "One of the pilots Lt Col Saurabh Yadav, who was critically injured succumbed to the injuries during treatment. The second pilot is under medical treatment.

The cause of the crash at this stage is not known. Details are being ascertained," they said. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered by the Army to ascertain the cause of the crash. The Cheetah helicopters were inducted into the defence forces about 60 years ago and they have tried to replace it on multiple occasions but without any success.

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