The death of two Indian Army pilots in a Cheetah helicopter crash in West Kameng district once again puts Arunachal Pradesh under the spotlight. The deceased officers have been identified as Lt Col VVB Reddy and his co-pilot Maj Jayanth A. The helicopter was on an operational sortie from Missamari in Assam’s Sonitpur district to Tawang. The accident took place when it was returning after experiencing bad weather. The repeated incidents of air crash in the state shows that Arunachal continues to be a very dangerous place for flying. So many lives have been lost in such crashes over the years.
The Indian Air Force has suffered the maximum loss of lives and aircraft. Many civilians too have died in air crashes. The terrain in the state continues to pose a huge challenge for operation of air services. The death of the two pilots of the Indian Army is a big loss and the whole nation mourns their death. The country remembers the supreme sacrifice made by the two valiant heroes. However, the use of a helicopter like Cheetah in the difficult terrain of Arunachal Pradesh is a big challenge. It time tha that army as well as the IAF upgraded and got better, modern helicopters for use in the high Himalayan terrains of the Northeast and Kashmir.