New Delhi: Three Indian Army officers, including Division Commander Major General Sachin Mehta, escaped serious harm after a Cheetal light helicopter crashed near Leh in Ladakh on May 20, officials said.
The aircraft, a TM333B‑powered variant of the long-serving Cheetah family, went down during an afternoon sortie. Two pilots and Major General Mehta were aboard at the time, and all three sustained injuries. Military sources said the officers were taken to hospital and were in stable condition, with the two pilots recorded as having minor injuries, as reported by India Today.
A post-accident selfie taken by Major General Mehta circulated widely on social media, drawing public attention to the incident.
The Army has ordered a Court of Inquiry to establish the sequence of events and cause of the crash, officials added.
The Cheetal involved is a modernised offshoot of the ageing Cheetah fleet, itself derived from the French Aerospatiale Alouette III design. For decades these light helicopters have been central to Indian high‑altitude operations in regions such as Ladakh, Siachen and Arunachal Pradesh because of their ability to operate in thin air and extreme weather.
Used routinely for reconnaissance, casualty evacuation, troop movement and ferrying supplies to remote forward posts inaccessible by road, the Cheetah/Chetak family has been indispensable to mountain operations. However, many of these aircraft are now decades old and the fleet has faced increasing scrutiny over maintenance and safety.
The armed forces are bringing in newer helicopters to replace the old ones. India has already started induction of the indigenously built Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, to take over from the Cheetah and Chetak in Army and Air Force units.
