Hours after two Surya Kiran aircraft crashed mid-air, Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria said the Surya Kiran will not be a part of Aero India 2019 beginning on Wednesday. Indian Air Force's Surya Kiran aerobatic team will sit out the prestigious Aero India event, currently underway in Bengaluru, after Tuesday's crash which killed Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi left two others injured. However, the IAF teams flew the Jaguar, Tejas and Sukhoi 30 aircraft in the 'missing man' formation in memory of the deceased Wing Commander, The Quint reported. The 'missing man' formation is an aerial salute to honour a pilot who has died in the line of duty or a fallen veteran or political figure. In this formation, the position of one aircraft is left vacant to honour the deceased. The crash occurred a little berfore 12 pm on Tuesday when the Hawk jets were performing a manoeuvre, while practising for the air show, the Defence PRO office said in a statement. One of the aircraft was flying inverted, carrying a pilot, and the other was airborne just underneath with two pilots onboard. The two jets hit each other and spun out of control, according to police and eyewitnesses. However, the precise details of the accident will be known after due investigation. One of the three aircrews on the two aircraft, Wing Commander VT Shelke and Squadron Leader TJ Singh ejected. However, Wing Commander Gandhi sustained fatal injuries, it said. Video clips of the crash showed the two jets crashing to the ground and bursting into flames near Yelahanka airbase after brushing against each other mid-air, a day before the five-day event. "We had an unfortunate incident and an investigation will take place. Surya Kiran won't be part of the display," Bhadauria told reporters in Bengaluru. All other displays will go ahead as planned, he added. Throwing light on the mishap, Bhadauria said, "In this particular incident they were doing a mirror image. The margin of error is very low. Whether it was an execution error or a bird that hit the planes, will be found out in the investigation,". Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said she would react after getting the details. With inputs from PTI<doc-sep>Surya Kiran not to participate in Aero India after tragic accident kills 1 pilot Two flights crashed resulting in the death of one pilot during a final rehearsal put together by the Bidar Air Force Station, which was practicing for its final event. news Aero India Following the tragic accident involving two Surya Kiran aircraft, which resulted in the death of a pilot, the Surya Kiran team will not be participating in Aero India 2019 air show in Bengaluru. “There was an unfortunate incident this morning and two aircraft collided during a mirror formation. An inquiry has been lodged. All displays except for Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team will continue as listed in the program,” said Air Marshall RKS Bhadauria to the media on Tuesday evening, "In cases like Surya Kiran, the risk factor is high. In this particular incident, the two aircraft were trying a mirror image. One aricraft was just above another in an inverted form. This was in close proximity. In these kinds of instances, it is not good to speculate as to what happened. It could have been operational or may be there were birds or it may have been human error. We have to wait and see what the inquiry reveals.” Officials further stated that the aircraft were all regularly upgraded and that Mirage 2000 was being upgraded, and to allege that lack of upgrades led to the accident is wrong. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated to the media that the show would go on as planned. “The morale has not been affected at all. If anything, the response the people have shown it has brought in more motivation to fight terror squarely,” she said. On Tuesday morning, around 11.50 am, the two flights crashed resulting in the death of one pilot during a final rehearsal put together by the Bidar Air Force Station, which was practicing for its final event which was to be held on Wednesday. The wing of one aircraft reportedly hit the other during the rehearsal, which led to the mishap.<doc-sep>Chethan Kumar Surya Kirans Hawk Mk-132 aircraft Bangalore Aero India Watch: Pilot was calm after Surya Kirans crashed, says engineering student who comforted him 01:01 Chethan Kumar BM, the engineering student who comforted the pilot by holding his hand 1 & 2: The Surya Kirans flying in mirror image formation 3 & 4: The tail of one collides with nose of the other 5 & 6: The aircraft start hurtling towards the ground 7: Two pilots eject; Wg Cdr Sahil Gandhi, who was flying solo in the inverted position, doesn’t 8: The aircraft explode Bengaluru Wing commander Sahil Gandhi Past incidents In January 2009, Wing Commander RS Dhaliwal died in a crash near Surya Kiran’s home base Bidar. Another aircraft had crashed in December 2007. In March 2006, two pilots were killed in a crash in Bidar. Five days before the inauguration of the Aero India 2007, on February 2, at the Yelahanka base an ALH helicopter belonging to Sarang display team crashed leavening one pilot dead. BM loves aircraft, especially the. He studies Aeronautical Engineering at Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology (he’s in the final semester) but could have never imagined that he would end up getting so close to a pilot of theknown for performing stunts that bring your heart to the mouth.On Tuesday, Chethan’s video went viral after two Surya Kirans collided while flying in the mirror image formation (also called Calypso pass manoeuvre). In the video, Chethan is heard comforting the pilot (‘Sir, stay calm sir. Nothing has happened. Stay calm sir. They are coming,’ he keeps telling the pilot and then holds his hand to reassure him. Chethan later toldMirror in detail about what happened earlier in the day (although at 8 pm he said he was still shaking after seeing the crash and helping the pilot. )Chethan’s college is near Air Force Station Yelahanka so it is shut tillconcludes. On Tuesday, he was watching aircraft perform manoeuvres and stunts from his home, which is behind the air base.“I could clearly see Surya Kirans taking off and dispersing in the air and this was when two more aircraft (not Surya Kirans) took off for their sorties. Later, when all the nine Surya Kirans re-assembled, I was at the edge of my seat,” he said.But at around 11.50 am, Chethan notic­ed something had gone horribly wrong.“I could see both the aircraft getting closer. Initially, I thought it was one more trick as Surya Kirans were known for the precision and timing while doing such acts. However, when the aircraft touched each other and started losing balance, I started shivering,” he added. (Video footage later revealed that the tail of one of the aircraft clipped the nose of the other while they were flying in mirror image formation – one flying upside down on top of the other).“Then I heard a loud sound and saw thick black smoke -- something that I had never seen in my life. While I was still trying to make sense of what had happened, I saw two pilots with parachutes trying to emerge out of the fire,” he said. (He was perhaps referring to the two pilots who bailed out safely – the third one, Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi, was not so lucky. He sustained fatal injuries in the accident. )Chethan then ran towards the pilots and some others joined him too. While Chethan attended to one of the pilots, the others rushed towards the other one. “When I reached the spot, I could see one of the pilots lying on the ground with a parachute next to him. He looked like he was in great pain although he tried to maintain his composure. I offered him water but the pilot refused it. The only thing that flashed through my mind at that time was to hold his hand and comfort him saying that we were with him and he need not worry. As soon as I held out my right hand, the pilot grabbed it firmly. So I decided to keep talking to the pilot so that he would remain conscious.“I tried to reassure him saying nothing would happen and rescue teams would arrive soon. The pilot didn’t talk but nodded his head. I asked him if he was feeling too much pain; the pilot then asked me to help remove the parachute. As I didn’t know how to remove those knots, the pilot gave me tips through gestures.“Suddenly, there was another blast; probably the some part of the aircraft had caught fire. The fire had engulfed the region and we narrowly escaped it. I told the pilot that he needed to be taken to a safe place. We shifted him to a nearby tree. By then, we had removed his parachute and people had started gathering. A few policemen who were cordoning off the area tried to chase away bystanders. They asked me to leave as well. However, when they saw that the pilot was holding my hand firmly and letting go, they let me stay.”By then, Chethan could hear the sirens of ambulances and fire engines that were rushing to the spot. “The pilot indicated that the siren was irritating him and it should be turned off. So I shouted out the request to the firemen who understood. By then, I could see around 100 armed guards surrounding the whole area. One of the officers took possession of the area and tried to shift the injured pilot in an ambulance. The officer thanked me for being there and I noticed that he tried to smile even while being in deep pain. Even after the pilot left the ambulance, I kept on praying to God that all the pilots should be safe. Then, I went back to check the news and was shocked that one of the pilots had died. I remember that the pilot’s badge said VT Shelke (Wing Commander Vijay T Shelke).<doc-sep>'Wanted him to be OK': B'luru man who comforted Surya Kiran pilot speaks to TNM A video of Chetan Kumar comforting an injured IAF pilot emerged on social media after two Surya Kiran aircraft crashed in Bengaluru. news Aero India 2019 “Stay calm,” consoles a man as he holds the hand of an injured IAF pilot, who had parachuted out of his jet in Bengaluru on Tuesday. A heartwarming video of a civilian comforting an IAF pilot emerged on social media after two Hawk MK-132 aircraft attached with the Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team collided with each other during a practice sortie ahead of Aero India 2019 on Tuesday morning. While Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi was killed in the crash, two other pilots of team 2IC Wing Commander Vijay Shelke and Squadron Leader Tejeshwar Singh were injured and have been moved to Command Hospital. It has now emerged that the man who comforted the injured IAF pilot after the crash was Chetan Kumar BM, a 22-year-old aeronautical engineering student, who lives near Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru. Recalling the events that unfolded on Tuesday morning, Chetan says he saw an explosion in the sky. "I saw two jets collide. I could tell they were from the Surya Kiran team because of the colour of the jets. Then I saw two pilots eject and it looked like they were coming down their chutes through the fire. I also remember my building shook so badly and I did not think at all. I just ran outside," Chetan Kumar told TNM. One of the pilots, who had ejected, landed just 30 metres away from Ultimate Signature Apartment in ISRO Layout near Yelahanka New Town, where Chetan lives. Horrified at the scene of the accident, Chetan immediately rushed to console the injured pilot. "I was so scared. I remember running and running until I could see the pilot, who had landed. People were gathering to see what had happened. I held the pilot's hand and I asked him to try to stay calm. He too responded and said he was okay. I also asked him whether he was in pain. He responded by saying he was experiencing pain in his neck and he did not have any pain in any other part of his body. I assured him that help was on its way. Some of us also tried to give him some water. At that point, I only wanted to make sure that he was responding and being calm because that's how I could know he was okay. I asked him whether I could call anyone for him and he just said he would wait for the IAF to take him to the hospital and notify his family," Chetan said. Chetan waited with the pilot for 10 minutes until the firefighters and the ambulances arrived at the spot. By then, a large crowd had gathered at the spot. "There were too many people who were crowding him. I was there with him to make sure he is not moved before help arrived because I was scared something may happen to him. A couple of minutes after people gathered, a few of them told the people to back off as he was injured and needed some space to breathe. When help arrived, the officials took over. But I was there at the spot. Until then, I had not processed what I had seen and it was too much to take," Chetan added. A statement released by IAF said, "Today morning at around 1150 hrs, two Hawk aircraft of Surya Kiran aerobatic team of IAF crashed while practicing for the forthcoming Aero India Air Show. Three pilots were occupants. Two pilots ejected and have been evacuated to the Command Hospital. Third pilot sustained fatal injuries. Damage to life and property in the vicinity of crash site is being ascertained. A Court of Inquiry will investigate the cause of the accident."<doc-sep>
Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi with his wife. IAF plane crash: Upper aircraft hits the tail of the aircraft flying below BENGALURU: Two Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team aircraft collided mid-air and crashed on Tuesday during a practice sortie for the 12th edition of Aero India, casting a shadow on the five-day biennial airshow that will kick off on Wednesday.One pilot, Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi died at the crash site. Wing Commander Vijay Shelke and Squadron Leader Tejeshwar Singh are under treatment at Command Hospital, the IAF confirmed. Shelke was the second-in-command of the Surya Kiran aerobatic team.The planes crashed around 11.50am near Isro Layout in Nagenahalli, about 17km from the Yelahanka Air Force Station, from where they had taken off.“Singh has fractures to both legs and was operated upon, while Vijay, who has relatively minor injuries, is undergoing scans,” a source said.Until late Tuesday, Gandhi’s body had not reached the hospital. Sources said an autopsy will be conducted as soon as it reaches the hospital and the remains will be handed over to the family as per procedure.The Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team has caught the eye at multiple Aero India shows and had recently upgraded to Hawk Mk-132 aircraft. They earlier flew the Kiran trainer aircraft, which has been decommissioned by the Indian Air Force (IAF).“Damage to life and property in the vicinity of the crash site is being ascertained,” an IAF spokesperson said in a statement shared with TOI.While the IAF has ordered a Court of Inquiry to investigate the cause of the accident, eye-witness accounts and videos show that one of the planes’ nose collided with the other’s tail, making it very difficult to recover for the pilots. The two aircraft were performing a close spin-and-cross manoeuvre, while the other aircraft were engaged in a separate formation.The rest of the Surya Kiran team (seven aircraft) landed in HAL airport and has been based there. As part of standard procedure, the aircraft will be grounded temporarily. They will not perform on Wednesday.While all Surya Kiran aircraft (Hawk) are twin seaters, the team generally flies with one pilot. On Tuesday, one aircraft involved in the crash had two pilots, both of whom ejected to safety. Gandhi was flying solo, sources said, and could not eject immediately as his aircraft lost its nose, and thereby, complete control.Four years ago to the day (February 19), two aircraft belonging to the Flying Bulls aerobatic team were involved in a mid-air collision right over the runway of the Yelahanka Air Force Station, very close to the tarmac area. However, the pilots recovered and landed safely as only the wings had clipped against each other. The Flying Bulls were performing for the crowd and, as TOI had reported then, nobody was injured.The Surya Kiran team had flown in full formation only on Monday during the full-dress rehearsals and all parameters of the flights were reported to be normal. With the Aero India inauguration scheduled for Wednesday, the team took off for morning sorties on Tuesday when the aircraft collided.Air Marshal RK Bhaduria, IAF Training Command chief, said: "When you operate nine aircraft in an aerobatic display team, there are risks, they have to operate very close to each other and the margin for error is low. It is an issue of skill building over time and risk factor, which is balanced with safety. In this particular incident, they were performing a mirror maneouvre, which is very risky. We aren't sure exactly what happened. "Except the Surya Kirans, all other displays will go ahead as planned at Aero India.