Air force chopper crashes ahead of demonstration

Rajasthan, February 28: An advanced light helicopter (ALH) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) Sarang aerobatic display team crashed no Saturday, ahead of the firepower demonstration here, an IAF officer said on Sunday.

“The aircraft suddenly lost power and crashed after the pilot was unable to regain control,” the officer told.

It crashed at the Jaisalmer airfield, about 50 km from the Pokhran ranges.

Both the pilot and the co-pilot of the helicopter were safe. A depleted

three-helicopter Sarang team displayed its skills at Sunday’s fire power show.

This is the second crash of a Sarang ALH in three years. The first happened ahead of the February 2007 AeroIndia International airshow in Bangalore.

—Agencies