A Chetak helicopter of Indian Navy met with a ground accident on Saturday during maintenance taxi checks at INS Garuda, Kochi, resulting in the loss of life of one ground crew. A Board of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of accident.
Giving these details here, Navy officials said Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and all personnel of Indian Navy mourn the loss of life and pay tribute to Yogendra Singh, Leading Air Mechanic(LAM) who lost his life in the unfortunate accident at Kochi and extend heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. The accident reportedly took place at about 2.30 pm. The deceased hailed from Madhya Pradesh.
The INS Garuda is adjacent to INS Venduruthy and the headquarters of Southern Naval Command. INS Garuda is a major naval air training centre as well as an operational base. It has two intersecting runways, allowing almost all operational aircraft to land and take off.
The INS Garuda is an important operating station for the Indian Navy, with several training schools, and maintenance and repair facilities and experimental stations based there.
