Pramod Keshav Pande

Biography

Lieutenant Colonel Pramod Keshav Pande hailed from Pune in Maharashtra and joined the Army after completing his education. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant into the Regiment of Artillery, an important combat support arm of the Indian Army. Later he opted for the Army Aviation Corps and trained as a helicopter pilot. By 2004, he had developed into a professionally competent helicopter pilot with expertise in a variety of air operations. In October 2004, Lt Col Pande was serving with 23 (I) Recce and Observation Flight, functioning under the operational control of 6 Mountain Division based at Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. The Division exercised operational control over a number of units deployed across various locations, including border areas. On 29 October 2004, the General Officer Commanding, Maj Gen DP Singh, decided to conduct a reconnaissance of the border posts of his units, and 23 (I) R&O Flight was tasked to undertake the mission. Lt Col Pande, as captain, and Capt Arjun Sardana, as co-pilot, were detailed to fly the single-engine Cheetah helicopter — a versatile, rugged aircraft suited to observation, surveillance and recce missions over a wide range of altitude conditions. The crew, along with Maj Gen DP Singh, took off from Bareilly base at around 7:30 am after completing the mandatory airworthiness checks. At about 9:30 am the helicopter lost contact with the ATC, having apparently developed a serious snag that rendered the aircraft uncontrollable. Despite their substantial flying experience, the pilots could not bring the aircraft under control, and it crashed near the Indo-Tibetan border a few kilometres from Badrinath, in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. The wreckage was eventually located near Mana Pass. Lt Col PK Pande, a committed soldier and professionally competent pilot, laid down his life in the line of duty.