Sameer Riaz Kagdi, SC

Biography

Flight Lieutenant Sameer Riaz Kagdi hailed from the Nashik district of Maharashtra and was born on 17 July 1973. The son of Shri RM Kagdi, he was drawn to the Armed Forces from a young age. After his schooling he was selected for the prestigious National Defence Academy and subsequently qualified for the Indian Air Force, being commissioned on 16 December 1995 at the age of 22. He joined the flying stream and trained as a helicopter pilot with the 156th Pilots' Course, developing into a professionally competent aviator with expertise across a range of air operations. By 2000, Flt Lt Kagdi was serving with the 114 Helicopter Unit, the famed "Siachen Pioneers," which was flying Cheetah helicopters in support of the Indian Army as part of Operation Meghdoot. Having joined the unit in October 1999, he gained the coveted status of glacier captain in a record time of five months. During his short nine-month stint he flew 350 hours, including 225 hours over the Siachen Glacier, repeatedly braving enemy shelling to drop supplies at tactically crucial posts served by the world's highest helipads. On 4 July 2000, Flt Lt Kagdi was detailed to captain a Cheetah helicopter to Daulat Beg Oldi. Five nautical miles short of Goshen, the aircraft suffered a collective pitch lever failure and began descending rapidly. Displaying exceptional skill, he selected a suitable landing field and force-landed the helicopter using only cyclic control, sustaining grievous spinal injuries and fractures in the process. Undaunted by his pain, his accurate analysis of the emergency enabled the Court of Inquiry to determine the cause of failure and institute remedial measures. He succumbed to his injuries on 16 July 2000 at the Command Hospital, Chandigarh, at the age of 27, and was awarded the Shaurya Chakra for his professional courage and supreme sacrifice.