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Former IAF Group Captain Pangin terms Arunachal's high altitude terrain as new "Bermuda Triangle"

In a telephonic conversation with Pranab Kumar Das of ETV Bharat, Group Captain Pangin, a former Air Force veteran and retired pilot, described the high-altitude mountains and deep gorges of Arunachal Pradesh as another “Bermuda Triangle”.

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Etv Bharat

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Published : Mar 20, 2023, 5:50 PM IST

Updated : Mar 20, 2023, 8:11 PM IST

Former IAF Group Captain Pangin terms Arunachal's high altitude terrain as new "Bermuda Triangle"

Tezpur (Assam):Former Indian Air Force Group Captain Mohonto Pangin termed Arunachal Pradesh terrain as the new "Bermuda Triangle". In a telephonic conversation with ETV Bharat, Group Captain Pangin, a former Air Force veteran and retired pilot, described the high-altitude mountains and deep gorges of Arunachal Pradesh as another “Bermuda Triangle”.

In this region, a total of 14 crashes occurred in different parts of Arunachal Pradesh in the past two decades till March 16, 2023, killing about 50 people. Pangin was a fighter pilot and former Group Captain of the IAF, who flew the first batch of SU-30MKI from Russia to India. He was the only Commander of SU-30MKI in North East region with 3,500 hours of flying experience. Several helicopter crash incidents have occurred in Arunachal Pradesh, including the Indian army and civil aviation helicopters, where several people have lost their lives.

In 1997, former Union Minister of State for Defence NVN Sum and three others were killed in a Cheetah helicopter crash 40 km from Tawang. In 2001, Arunachal Pradesh Education Minister Dera Natung and five others were killed in a Pawan Hans helicopter crash near Sessa in the west Kameng district.

Also read:8 choppers crash in Arunachal Pradesh killing 62 people since 2010

In 2009, 13 people were killed when an Air Force cargo ship AN 32 crashed in Mechuka. On April 19, 2011, an MI-17 passenger helicopter crashed after reaching Tawang from Guwahati, killing 17 out of 23 passengers. In the same month Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, along with four people, including the pilot, were killed when the Hans helicopter AS350 B-3 crashed in Tawang.

Pangin said such incidents are happening due to frequently changing adverse weather conditions and experienced pilots are needed to fly helicopters or fighter jets in these areas. He called it very sensitive. He added that the Indian Army Cheetah helicopter that crashed, too, is old and needs to be reviewed, but it has good quality that it can fly at high altitudes, which is not possible with MI-17 helicopters or other helicopters. Therefore, it is very important for the pilot to decide whether or not to enter thick fog under any circumstances, he added.

Also read:Arunachal Pradesh chopper crash: Mayday call indicates malfunction; toll rises to 5

Pangin, who was previously a Chief Operations Officer at the Air Force's Station Tezpur Base, said the black boxes are collected to learn about aircraft accidents and it is essential that helicopters, both military and private, should have the facility of ( ELT) Emergency Locator Transmitters and their efficiency should be ensured.

He said the court of inquiry issued by the army revealed the details of the accidents, but lessons needed to be learned to prevent such incidents from happening again. He said the helicopter service agency Aviation Department needs to consider the matter thoroughly after the investigation. He said that every year since 2010, a plane or a helicopter has crashed in Arunachal Pradesh and it is due to a lack of vigilance and changing weather conditions and that a pilot has to face a lot of difficulties, but he has to be prepared for that situation.

Last Updated : Mar 20, 2023, 8:11 PM IST

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