• Source:JND
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Three years after a deadly plane crash that killed the country's first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, a parliamentary panel report has cited "human error". The accident that claimed 13 lives including Gen Rawat, and his wife Madhulika Rawat, took place on December 8, 2021, when they were travelling in a crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.

On Tuesday, the Standing Committee on Defence presented the report and a data on the number of Indian Air Force aircraft crashes that took place during the 13th Defence Plan period in the Parliament.

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According to the report, the total number of crashes stood at 34, including nine IAF aircraft accidents that took place in 2021-22 and 11 in 2018-19.

The tabulated data in the report also contained a column titled "reason" that specified the cause of the accidents in this period, against the aircraft type and date and accident.

The also mentioned the Mi-17 V5 helicopter crash. Placed on 33rd position, the report cited "HE(A)" or "human error (aircrew)" as a reason behind the crash.

The ministry also informed the Committee that 34 inquiries have been conducted into these accidents during the period.

"The ministry also informed that the recommendations by these Inquiry committees review the process, procedure, training, equipment, culture, operations, maintenance and administration holistically with intent to prevent recurrence of an accident," the report said.

General Bipin Rawat was cremated side by side on the same pyre with his wife Madhulika Rawat with full military honours at Brar Square crematorium in Delhi Cantonment on Friday.

General Rawat is survived by two daughters- Kritika and Tarini.

(With inputs from the agency)