Ebrahim Raisi Chopper Crash: YSR To Gen Rawat — Prominent Indians Who Died In Helicopter Crashes

Iran President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian died in a helicopter crash in a mountainous region of northwest Iran on Sunday.

(L-R) Former Andhra CM YS Rajasekhara Reddy, former Arunachal CM Dorjee Khandu, and Gen. Bipin Rawat, India's first CDS.

Source : X/@RahulGandhi, X/@MyGovArunachal, X@ADGPI

Ebrahim Raisi death: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the country’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian died in a helicopter crash in a mountainous region of northwest Iran on Sunday.

Over the years, several prominent personalities have died in crashes involving helicopters, which are used commonly by leaders because they offer some advantages that other aircraft don’t, like fast and easy access to remote areas. In India alone, there have been multiple such crashes over the past decade.

• Gen Bipin Rawat: On December 8, 2021, General Bipin Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), and 12 others were killed when an Indian Air Force (IAF) Mi-17V5 helicopter crashed in the Nilgiris. The deceased included Gen Rawat’s wife Madhulika, apart from IAF and Army officers and personnel. 

• Dorjee Khandu: The then Arunachal Pradesh CM was aboard a helicopter that crashed near the China border on April 30, 2011. Four others perished in the crash, which involved a single-engine EuroCopter B8.

• YS Rajasekhara Reddy: The then Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh was among 5 people killed in a crash on 2 September 2009. The helicopter involved was a twin-engine Bell 430.

• GMC Balayogi: The Lok Sabha Speaker died on March 3, 2002, when the private helicopter he was travelling in crashed in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh. Two others, including the pilot, died in the accident. The chopper was a Bell 206-B-3.

• OP Jindal and Surender Singh: Noted industrialist Jindal and fellow minister Singh were killed in a helicopter crash on March 31, 2005. Two of five passengers survived the crash, which involved a Eurocopter Colibri owned by the OP Jindal Group.

• Dera Natung: The then Arunachal Pradesh Education Minister was killed in a helicopter crash on May 8, 2001. The crash killed all seven of the aircraft’s passengers. News reports from the time say the helicopter belonged to Pawan Hans but don’t mention the make.
• Cyprian Sangma: The Meghalaya Community Development Minister and two legislators were among 10 people killed when a Dauphin Helicopter VT EKZ operated by Pawan Hans crashed on September 22, 2004.