Army chopper crash: Capt Joshi drowned as injury prevented him from swimming, says report

Ajay Banerjee

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New Delhi, March 22

A report into the cause of death of Capt Jayant Joshi, the Army Aviation pilot who was killed in an air crash, says he died by drowning and has gone on to say the pilot could have survived had he not been injured which prevented him from swimming to safety or staying afloat.

Capt Joshi and his senior pilot Lt Col AS Batth were killed in a crash on August 3 last year when the ALH Rudra copter crashed into the Ranjit Sagar Dam lake near Pathankot.

Capt Joshi’s body was retrieved from the lake 76 days after the crash.

A 20-page report of the Institute of Aviation Medicine (IAM) based in Bengaluru says “multiple injuries were sustained by the deceased, even though grievous, (he) could have been survived. However, these injuries could have adversely affected survivability in water for a self rescue”. Meaning the injuries prevented him from swimming to safety.

Harish Joshi, father of Capt Joshi told the Tribune “My son was alive, but deprived of a life jacket, he could not float as his femur or thigh had broken and was unable to keep himself afloat on his own.”

His flying suit bore no tears no cuts, he died as he drowned due to inability to swim post the femur fracture, Joshi said adding “I lost my son to callous attitude for pilot safety.”

The report based on ‘histopathological and toxicological examination’ goes on to says “the accumulated fluid in the lung tissue (of the Pilot) could be (caused by) drowning”.

Capt Joshi’s father had, last year, written a letter to the President Ram Nath Kovind, who is the Supreme Commander of the armed forces, questioning what he said were ‘gaps in safety processes’ in Army Aviation.

Joshi says there is no reply so far and wants accountability be fixed for the death of his son and his fellow pilot Lt Col Batth.