Group Captain Varun Singh, sole survivor of IAF chopper crash, had cheated death earlier too

IAF Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor of the military chopper crash in Tamil Nadu which took the life of CDS General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and 11 others, is currently on life support in Military Hospital at Wellington.

As India prays for the recovery of Group Captain Varun Singh, we will tell you an incident from last year when Singh had escaped death and come out unscathed.

The Group Captain was recently conferred with the Shaurya Chakra by President Ram Nath Kovind for his act of exceptional gallantry. As it goes, in 2020, Singh nearly escaped death as a Light Combat Aircraft suffered a system failure. It led to a loss of command of the aircraft during its descend.

During such a catastrophic event, Singh did not lose his cool and abandon the aircraft, he displayed courage and safely landed the fighter aircraft. It was for this bravery that he was awarded the Shaurya Chakra.

Singh’s Shaurya Chakra citation said, “This was an unprecedented catastrophic failure that had never occurred. There was a rapid loss of altitude… with the aircraft pitching up and down viciously going to the extremities of G limits. Despite being in extreme physical and mental stress in an extremely life-threatening situation, he maintained exemplary composure and regained control of the aircraft, thereby exhibiting exceptional flying skills.”

The citation further read, “Singh went beyond the call of duty and landed the aircraft taking calculated risks which also allowed an accurate analysis of the fault on the indigenously designed fighter and further institution of preventive measures against recurrence. For this high order of professionalism, composure, and quick decision making, even at the peril to his life, he not only averted the loss of an LCA, but also safeguarded civilian property and population on the ground.”