Balidan Diwas
18 March 2006
Place of Supreme Sacrifice
Near Naubad, Bidar, Karnataka
State of Origin
New Delhi, Delhi
Service Number
22124
Unit / Regiment
52 Squadron, Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team
Biography
Wing Commander Dheeraj Bhatia was a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force who joined the service in 1995. A skilled aviator, he was selected for the prestigious Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) — the IAF's air display team based at Air Force Station Bidar, operating Kiran MK II aircraft. On March 18, 2006, during a training sortie, his Kiran MK II aircraft collided mid-air with another aircraft flown by Squadron Leader Shailendra Singh. Both aircraft entered a spin and crashed near Naubad, approximately three kilometers from Bidar, Karnataka. Wing Commander Bhatia made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation.
Sources
Information compiled from publicly available official and historical sources.
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