2 pilots namely Lt Col VVB Reddy and Major Jayanth A died as Indian Army’s Cheetah helicopter crashed, know Reddy’s life and biography
An aircraft took off from the air base of Missamari in Assam’s Sonitpur, nearly around 9:15 am on a routine sortie. Then it lost touch with ATC while it was returning from the village Senge in the West Kameng district.
‘Two pilots of the Indian Air Army died when their Cheetah helicopter crashed near Mandala hills, which is situated in the west of Bomdila district of Arunachal Pradesh,’ the Defence Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mahendra Rawat announced. Lieutenant Colonel V.V.B. Reddy was one among the two pilots present in the helicopter.
Who is Lt Col VVB Reddy who died in Indian Army cheetah helicopter crash, biography, age, state, family and wife
Who is Lieutenant Colonel V.V.B. Reddy?
The crash took place around 9:15 am near Mandala, west of Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh, Defence PRO Lt Col Mahendra Rawat said.
I join the nation in saluting the supreme sacrifice of Lt Col VVB Reddy & Maj Jayanth A in the line of duty at Mandala, #Arunachal.
My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. Their sacrifice in service to Maa Bharti will ever be remembered. Om Shanti🙏
Jai Hind! pic.twitter.com/TPtMSbvf3H
— Pema Khandu པདྨ་མཁའ་འགྲོ་། (@PemaKhanduBJP) March 16, 2023
Lieutenant Colonel V.V.B. Reddy suffered fatal injuries after the crash. He had served for more than 23 years in the Indian Army. While his DOB isn’t known, he was aged between 40-50 years. The mortal remains were retrieved and they will be brought to Dirang, around 30 km from Mandala.
VVB Reddy hometown is Bommalaramaram of Yadadri district in Telangana with his full name Uppala Vinay Bhanu Reddy. His parents are Narsimhmareddy and Vijayalakshmi with his family living in Malkajgiri. He was married to Spandana who works as a dental doctor in the army with the two having two daughters together.
The aircraft took off from the Missamari and it touched the ATC while it was returning from Senge village in the West Kameng district of the Arunachal Pradesh state.
‘The wreckage has been found in the forested hills of the Mandala which is nearby Bangjalep village, it’s in an area of around 40 km northwest of Bomdilla,’ Superintendent of the Police B. Bharat Reddy told media
“Around 12 pm, some villagers of Bangjalep informed us of a helicopter falling down,” the police officials reported.
Teams from the Army, police, the group of SDRF, and SSB launched joint search operations and lately, they were able to retrieve bodies before the sunset of the two army officers. An inquiry has been ordered for doing proper investigation which caused the accident, while this sudden demise of the two best officers has shaken the army.
In October last year, another Cheetah helicopter crashed at the Lungla area near Tawang, in Arunachal Pradesh.