IAF chopper crash second worst aviation incident in Nilgiris

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IAF chopper crash second worst aviation incident in Nilgiris: Coonoor helicopter crash; A similarly bad plane crash in the Nilgiris 70 years ago

Seven decades before the recent Coonoor helicopter crash, an Air India Douglas C-47B crashed near Kotagiri in the Nilgiris district, killing 20 passengers and crew, The Hindu reported.

On Wednesday afternoon, December 8, an Indian Air Force MI-17V5 helicopter crashed in the Coonoor Ghat area of ​​the Nilgiris, killing the Commander of the Defense Forces (CDS) General Pipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 soldiers. This is the second worst plane crash in the Nilgiris district.

Seven decades ago, on December 13, 1950, an Air India Douglas C-47B crashed near the Lower Kotagiri in the Nilgiris, killing 20 passengers and crew. One of them, a prominent statistician, died. The flight was en route from Chennai to Thiruvananthapuram after landing at Bangalore and Coimbatore. . The plane went missing shortly before landing in Bangalore from Bangalore, according to The Hindu Archives. The pilot, Captain Andrew Wiseman, co-pilot Captain Ramnath Narayan Iyer and radio officer Kasargod Appu Shenoy were contacted by the Coimbatore control authorities 12 minutes before the scheduled landing time at 10.20 am. The Coimbatore laboratory was informed that the clouds were low in Coimbatore from Chennai at 10.40 am. Late in the day, search flights that went all the way down delayed the search operation due to bad weather and the density of the Nilgiris. The plane was also believed to have crashed in the area.

Travelers include Indians and foreigners, as well as Professor Abraham Walt, Professor of Statistics at Columbia University and Guest of the Government of India.

Based on information from two forest guards, military search teams intensified the search for the aircraft. It is “a densely forested area where many wildebeests and elephants roam,” the report said. The wrecked bodies, along with postal envelopes and passenger belongings, were found near Rangaswamy Hill on December 19, when the plane crashed.

Another archive report, on December 21, said the inquiry was set up, Deputy Communications Minister Kurshat Lal told parliament. At that time, the Minister had mentioned the weather as a factor to pay attention to.

Thermalingam Venugopal, Honorary Director of the Nilgiris Documentary Center, told The Hindu that Professor Walt played a key role in the Allied victory in World War II.

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