Inquiry rules out mechanical failure, sabotage in chopper crash that killed Indian defense official

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) - An Indian tri-service inquiry on Friday ruled out "mechanical failure, sabotage, or negligence" as the cause of a helicopter crash that killed the first chief of defense staff (CDS) last month, preliminary findings revealed

The first CDS Gen. Bipin Rawat and his wife were among 14 people killed Dec. 8 in the accident in the southern province of Tamil Nadu.

The Defense Ministry said the tri-services court of inquiry submitted its preliminary findings that analyzed the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder and also questioned “all available witnesses to determine the most probable cause of the accident."

It said the accident was a result of "entry into clouds due to unexpected change in weather conditions in the valley."

"This led to spatial disorientation of the pilot resulting in controlled flight into terrain," the inquiry team found.

The ministry said based on its findings, the court of inquiry made "certain recommendations" which are being reviewed.