New Delhi: The helicopter crash that killed 14 people, including the country’s first Chief of Defense Staff Bipin Rawat, has been blamed on bad weather, a team of investigators has said. The team briefed Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on the issue. The Union Minister was briefed for about 45 minutes on the investigation report. The investigation was completed by a team led by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh. Eight minutes before the accident, Wing Commander Prithviraj Singh Chouhan said the helicopter was about to land.
The helicopter was flying very low over the railway track. The helicopter was found to be obscured by a thick cloud cover. On December 8, a Russian – made helicopter Mi-17V5 crashed in Coonoor near Ooty. Besides Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika and 12 soldiers were also killed in the accident.
