Group Captain Varun Singh: Shaurya Chakra recipient who survived Coonoor helicopter crash

Of the 14 people travelling in the ill-fated military chopper, Indian Air Force’s Group Captain Varun Singh, was the sole survivor but has been admitted to a Military Hospital in Tamil Nadu’s Wellington.

The IAF in. a statement said Group Captain Varun Singh was evacuated from the site of crash in Coonoor. Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 other armed forces personnel were among the dead in the crash.

Also Watch: Coonoor helicopter crashes: all you need to know about Mi-17 V5 in which CDS Bipin Rawat was travelling

Taking to Twitter, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed condolences to those who died in the crash and prayed for the speedy recovery of Group Captain Varun Singh.

Group Captain Varun Singh was awarded Shaurya Chakra on this year’s Independence Day for saving his LCA Tejas fighter aircraft during an aerial emergency in 2020.

According to a Defence Ministry statement, Wing Commander Varun Singh, was on October 12, 2020, flying a system check sortie when the cockpit pressurisation failed at high altitude. He correctly identified the failure and initiated a descent to lower altitude for landing.

The statement had noted that the pilot went beyond the call of duty and landed the aircraft taking calculated risks. This allowed an accurate analysis of the fault on the indigenously designed fighter and further institution of preventive measures against recurrence.