Gen Bipin Rawat's Chopper Crash: Pilot Error In Cloudy Weather: Sources

Sources said the Mi-17V5 helicopter that was carrying Gen Rawat, his wife Madhulika, and 11 other armed forces personnel crashed after a CFIT in cloudy weather

Pilot error was the likely cause for the chopper crash that led to Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat's death last month, sources said Wednesday afternoon.

Sources said the Mi-17V5 helicopter that was carrying Gen Rawat, his wife Madhulika, and 11 other armed forces personnel crashed after a CFIT, or Controlled Flight Into Terrain, occurrence.

Sources also said the crash took place in cloudy weather and stressed that the chopper - described to NDTV as "extremely reliable" and "very safe" was not malfunctioning at the time of the crash.