A chopper tragedy, decades before the death of Gen Rawat
HT’s homage to 6 officers killed in an accident similar to the one in the Nilgiris last December
The nation suffered a grievous loss on November 22, 1963, when a helicopter carrying four top-ranking army officers and one top-ranking IAF commander crashed in Poonch killing all five and the pilot.
The army officers were Lt-Gen Daulet Singh, GOC-in-C, Western Command, Lt-Gen Bikram Singh, Corps Commander, Western Command, Maj-Gen NKD Nanavati, commander of an infantry division in Jammu & Kashmir, and Brig SR Uberoi, commander of an infantry brigade in Jammu & Kashmir.
The Indian Air Force lost one of its outstanding officers in Air Vice-Marshal EW Pinto, Air Officer Commanding, Western Air Command.
The helicopter was piloted by Fl Lt SS Sodhi.
There were no survivors in the crash. According to reports, soon after take-off the rotor of the helicopter got entangled in a telephone cable and crashed.
While initially, the details of the tragedy were lacking, it was stated in Delhi that the crash occurred at Gulpur, two miles and a half on the Indian side of the ceasefire line in the Poonch area. The body of Lt-Gen Bikram Singh was flown to Jammu where a large number of people placed floral wreaths. The bodies of the other officers were later brought to Palam by an IAF Dakota.
The defence ministry said in an announcement that the officers were on an inspection tour of the Poonch area in an IAF helicopter (French-made Alouette). They had assembled at Poonch barely two hours before they met with the accident.
In the two Houses of Parliament, defence minister Yashwantrao Chavan paid handsome tributes to the distinguished officers.
“In the death of these officers, our defence forces have lost very distinguished, able and prominent leaders,” he said. Chavan reminded the members of the fine campaign in Ladakh under the able command of Lt-Gen Bikram Singh and the excellent work done by Air Vice Marshal Pinto in the recent air exercises. Air Vice-Marshal Pinto, Chavan said, was one of the ablest IAF officers.
The loss of these top-ranking officers, Chavan said, was a severe blow to the military leadership and to the military officers’ cadre. The deputy speaker, SV Krishnamoorthy Rao, expressed the regret of the House and said India had lost these officers when they were needed most.
The deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Violet Alva, said every member of the House associated sympathies to the bereaved families of these officers who offered their lives in the defence of the country. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru said that in the death of the five officers, the country had suffered a great loss. He said the tragic news had come from the forward areas.
“It is sad and painful,” he said.
Admiral Soman, Chief of the Naval Staff, sent condolence messages to both the Army and Air Headquarters. In identical messages, he said it was with the deepest regret that the Indian Navy had learnt of the grave loss the Army and the Air Force had suffered in the sad death of so many high-ranking officers in the helicopter crash.“To me their passing away means the loss of esteemed and personal friends,” Admiral Soman said.