On Thursday two army pilots including VVB Reddy (Uppala Vinaya Bhanu Reddy) from Hyderabad were killed when a Cheetah helicopter crashed in Arunachal Pradesh.
The helicopter crashed in Mandala west of Bomdila town en route from Senge to Missamari. It lost contact with Air Traffic Control at 9.15am yesterday. Officials immediately launched a search operation. Army Lieutenant Colonel Uppala Vinaya Bhanu Reddy (37) of Malkajigiri, Hyderabad, who was in the helicopter, died in the accident. Another Major Jayanth also lost his life.
Army identified the two pilots killed in the crash as Lieutenant Colonel VVB Reddy and Maj Jayanth. The Cheetah helicopter costs Rs 88 crore.
Uppala Vinaya Bhanu- VVB Reddy was 37 and he is survived by his wife Spandana Reddy, an army dentist, and two daughters Anika Reddy (6) and Harvik Reddy (4).
On the otherside Jayanth was 35 and he is survived by his wife. The army has ordered a court of inquiry into the helicopter crash. Bad weather has been blamed for several fatal crashes in Arunachal Pradesh.
Spandana Reddy is also working as a dentist in Army in Pune. Their native place is Bommalaramaram of Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district. Bhanu Reddy’s father Narsimhmareddy has been living in Durganagar in Malkajigiri for the past 40 years.