Balidan Diwas
24 February 2020
Place of Supreme Sacrifice
Patiala, Punjab
State of Origin
Punjab
Unit / Regiment
3rd Punjab Air Squadron (NCC)
Biography
Wing Commander Gurpreet Singh Cheema was an Indian Air Force officer serving with the 3rd Punjab Air Squadron on deputation for NCC training at Patiala. On 24 February 2020, while imparting flying training to NCC cadets, the Pipistrel Virus SW 80 microlight trainer aircraft he was piloting crashed shortly after takeoff from the Patiala Aviation Club airport. Wing Commander Cheema lost his life in the crash, while the NCC cadet onboard sustained injuries. The Indian Air Force ordered a Court of Inquiry to determine the cause of the accident.
Remembered Alongside
Sepoy Gurtej Singh
3 Punjab, The Punjab Regiment · 2020
Jemadar Hardev Singh
1 Patiala (The Punjab Regiment) · 1948
Sepoy Surinder Singh
23 Punjab · 1971
Sepoy Ankush Thakur
3 Punjab, The Punjab Regiment · 2020
Captain Anshuman Singh
Army Medical Corps, attached to 403 Field Hospital, 26 Punjab · 2023
Captain Karamjit Singh Bakshi
9 Punjab (The Punjab Regiment) · 2025