Indian Air Force Mi-17 V5 helicopter crashes in Arunachal Pradesh; 7 killed

At least 7 personnel including 5 IAF crew members and 2 personnel of Indian Army were killed after an Indian Air Force Mi-17 V5 helicopter crashed in Arunachal Pradesh during a training sortie on Friday morning, the IAF said.

The helicopter which was on an air maintenance mission, crashed around 6 am on Friday. A court of inquiry has been initiated in the matter, IAF added.

"Around 6 AM today, a Mi-17 V5 helicopter while on a Air Maintenance mission crashed in Arunachal Pradesh. Court of Inquiry ordered," IAF said.

#UPDATE: Total 7 dead in Mi-17 V5 helicopter crash; 5 IAF crew members and two personnel of Indian Army #ArunachalPradesh: Indian Airforce

— ANI (@ANI) October 6, 2017

In a similar incident last month, an Indian Air Force’s trainer aircraft crashed at Keesara near Hyderabad. The pilot of the aircraft was safely evacuated, Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh M Bhagwat said.

Around 11.45 am on September 28, a Kiran aircraft, which got airborne from Air Force Station Hakimpet in Hyderabad for a routine training mission with a trainee Flight Cadet, crashed, the Air Force official said.

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