Air Force pilot killed as chopper crashes in Uri

IAF officials said Squadron Leader A. Tripathi was killed while his co-pilot Flying Officer R.K. Sharma sustained injuries. Sharma has been flown to Srinagar for treatment.

The Russian-manufactured helicopter took off from Udhampur for Srinagar. The crash occurred in Julaan village when it again took off from Srinagar, landed in Uri and took off again. Army officials said the weather was ‘‘pretty good’’ when the helicopter took off, neither had the pilots complained of weather difficulties. While the Baaz post in Uri is a little above 12,000 feet, the helicopter was at nearly 10,200 feet when it went crashing.

The chopper took off from Srinagar and landed in the forward area at 11.45 am. ‘‘When it took off from the Baaz post, it crashed in a village. We would know about the cause of the crash only after an inquiry. It looks like some technical snag is responsible for the chopper crash,’’ an Army official said.

While the IAF has set up a court of inquiry, officials said initial reports indicate problems in the engine. Co-pilot Sharma will be de-briefed once he recovers to ascertain the cause.

The Cheetah, a light utility helicopter, is a modified version of the French Alloutte and was inducted into the IAF in the 70s. This is the second crash to occur in the Kashmir Valley in less than a month. Earlier, two Jaguars crashed near Sonamarg in a suspected mid-air collision.