1963 Poonch Indian Air Force helicopter crash

On Friday, 22 November 1963, an Aérospatiale Alouette III helicopter of the Indian Air Force crashed in Poonch district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. The aircraft was en route to Poonch town, killing all six people on board. Six Indian Armed Forces officers were on board, including three general officers, an air officer and a brigadier.

Among those killed in the crash were Lieutenant General Daulet Singh, Lieutenant General Bikram Singh and Air Vice Marshal Erlic Pinto and the pilot Flight Lieutenant S. S. Sodhi.

Background

The electricity and water supply to the town of Poonch came through a channel from Betar Nullah. In October 1963, the headworks of the channel was blown by Pakistan since it was located in Pakistani-Administered Kashmir. A new water-head was constructed by the engineers of the Indian Army. By 21 November 1963, the water and electricity supply to Poonch were restored. A tour was planned to inspect the new water-head.

Flight

The GOC-in-C Western Command Lieutenant General Daulet Singh and the AOC-in-C Western Air Command Air Vice Marshal Erlic Pinto were to inspect the new headwater. They arrived at Poonch from New Delhi in a Dakota aircraft at 1025 hours, where they were met by the Commander 93 Brigade, Brigadier S. R. Oberoi, MC. The GOC XV Corps Lieutenant General Bikram Singh and Air Officer Commanding Jammu & Kashmir Air Commodore Murat Singh had already arrived at Poonch from Udhampur at 0940 hours. Around the same time, the GOC 25 Division arrived in the Alouette III piloted by Flight Lieutenant S. S. Sodhi. Another Alouette also reached around 1055 hours.

An inspection of two outposts around Poonch was also planned, which had been recced already by Sodhi. The first outpost was small and dusty, as reported by Sodhi and two helicopters would not be able to land. Thus, Pinto decided that the second helicopter would proceed to the second outpost with Murat Singh and await the arrival of the officers. The others trooped into the first helicopter and proceeded towards the first outpost. The helicopter landed and the inspection got underway.

After the completion of the inspection, the party took off for the second outpost which was 15 miles away. Sodhi took the route along the Poonch River. Three minutes after getting airborne, the Alouette collided with two parallel line of telegraph cables. The cables ran between two poles - one on a cliff at a height of 300 feet and the other on the opposite bank of the river at a height of 100 feet. The helicopter struck the cables at a height of around 200 feet. Sodhi lost control and the helicopter crashed into the river bed, about 400 yards away. The crash spot was 2.5 miles from the Cease fire line.