Deepak Pandey

Biography

Corporal Deepak Pandey was the only son of Ram Prakash Pandey and Rama Pandey, hailing from Chakeri village, Kanpur district, Uttar Pradesh. He enlisted in the Indian Air Force in 2014 and trained as a technical operations specialist for Mi-17 helicopters. After an initial posting at Air Force Station Jamnagar, he was transferred to Srinagar's forward air base. On February 27, 2019, Corporal 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 for a joint Army-IAF support mission. 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, Corporal Deepak Pandey was posthumously awarded a Mention-in-Despatches.