Vishal Kumar Pandey

Biography

Sergeant Vishal Kumar Pandey was born in 1985 in Kashipur village, Varanasi district, Uttar Pradesh, to Vijay Shankar Pandey and Vimla Pandey. He joined the Indian Air Force in 2005 at the age of 20, training as a Flight Engineer and aircrew member for Mi-17 helicopters. On February 27, 2019, Sergeant Pandey was part of the six-member crew of Mi-17 V-5 helicopter ZP-5220 of 154 Helicopter Unit, which took off at 1000 hours from Srinagar. Approximately 10 minutes after takeoff, the helicopter was struck by the IAF's own SPYDER air defence system in the operationally charged environment following the Balakot airstrike. The aircraft crashed near Garend Kalaan village in Budgam district, killing all six crew members. For his devotion to duty and supreme sacrifice, Sergeant Pandey was posthumously awarded a Mention-in-Despatches.