Arunachal has witnessed several air crashes
May 1st, 2011 - 6:32 pm ICT by IANSItanagar, May 1 (IANS) Arunachal Pradesh has witnessed a large number of air crashes, which include the one on April 19 in which 17 people were killed at Tawang.
Among the 17 killed were two children and three crew members.
The Pawan Hans helicopter, which was on a regular flight, had taken off from Guwahati in the afternoon and crashed just outside the Tawang helipad, located at an altitude of about 11,000 feet.
On Nov 19 last year, 11 IAF personnel and an army lieutenant colonel were killed when an Air Force Mi-17 helicopter crashed near the China frontier a minute after take-off
In June 2009, an IAF AN-32 aircraft crashed at Mechuka killing all 13 on board.
Union minister of state for defence N.V.N. Somu, Major General Ramesh Nagpal and two others died when their Cheetah helicopter hit a 1,300 ft peak 40 km from Tawang on November 1997.
In May 2001, Arunachal Pradesh education minister Dera Natung and five others were killed when their Pawan Hans chopper crashed on a wooded hillock.
A Pawan Hans AS350 B-3 helicopter carrying 56-year-old Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu lost communication with the ground after it took off from Tawang at 9.50 a.m. Saturday when it flew past the Sela Pass along the Chinese border.
Apart from Khandu, the others on board included crew members Captain J.S. Babbar and Captain K.S. Malick, Khandu’s security officer Yeshi Choddak and Yeshi Lamu, sister of Tawang legislator Tsewang Dhondup.
A search is on to locate the missing copter.
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- Bodies of Arunachal CM Khandu, 4 others taken to Tawang - May 05, 2011
- Three bodies seen at crash site in Lobothang: Chidamabaram - May 04, 2011
- Ground search for Arunachal CM Khandu continues - May 03, 2011
- Chopper carrying Arunachal chief minister still missing (Night Lead) - May 01, 2011
- ISRO deploys satellites to search for missing Arunachal Pradesh CM - May 01, 2011
- Search continues for missing Arunachal CM along Indo-Bhutan border - May 02, 2011
- Over 1000 villagers search for missing Arunachal CM - May 01, 2011
- No trace yet of Arunachal CM, search enters fifth day - May 04, 2011
- Two Sukhoi jets, 30 other aircraft searching for missing Arunachal CM - May 01, 2011
- Eyewitnesses in Bhutan say they saw chopper trying to land - May 01, 2011
- Pawan Hans says missing chopper was in perfect condition - May 01, 2011
- Arunachal MP puts Pawan Hans in dock, blames poor upkeep for crash - Apr 21, 2011
Tags: air crashes, army lieutenant, as350, babbar, chief minister, chinese border, crew members, education minister, ft peak, guwahati, lieutenant colonel, malick, minister of state, nagpal, pawan hans helicopter, sela pass, somu, tawang, union minister, wooded hillock