Indian military helicopter crashes, division commander survives by luck, even finds time to post selfie
The Indian Army's division commander narrowly escaped another near-fatal incident involving a helicopter.
On the 23rd, Indian media outlet 'India Today' reported that Major General Sachin Mehta, the newly appointed commander of the Indian Army's 3rd Infantry Division, was aboard a helicopter that crashed near Leh in the so-called 'Ladakh' region.
According to Indian media reports, there were three people on board the helicopter at the time of the accident: General Mehta and two pilots holding the ranks of major and captain. The aircraft crashed onto soft ground on a slope, skidded for nine meters before becoming lodged against a rock. As a result, no fatalities occurred—Mehta and the two other crew members sustained only minor injuries. After the crash, Mehta even had the leisure to take a selfie and post it online.
The helicopter involved in this incident is the "Cheetah," whose original design is derived from France’s "Lama" helicopter (Aérospatiale SA 315B Lama). In the 1970s, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) obtained authorization from French manufacturers to develop a domestically adapted version—the "Cheetah."
The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation, but Indian media generally attribute it to aging aircraft components. Although the Indian military claims the Cheetah that Mehta was traveling in is a newer model, the aircraft's design dates back to the 1960s, and it has now been in service for over half a century.
Due to its ability to operate effectively in thin air and extreme weather conditions, the Cheetah remains one of the primary helicopters used by the Indian military for transporting personnel and supplies, as well as conducting reconnaissance missions in high-altitude regions along the India-China border.
However, the Cheetah also suffers from an alarmingly high accident rate. Indian media reports indicate that as early as 2015, families of Indian military personnel had submitted complaints to the Indian Ministry of Defense urging the replacement of the Cheetah. The complaint claimed that over the past 30 years, 191 Cheetah helicopters have crashed, resulting in 294 deaths.
Yet due to slow progress in developing HAL’s indigenous Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), the aging Cheetah fleet continues to be kept in service despite repeated accidents—effectively being extended beyond its intended lifespan.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866065258634252/
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