Varun inspired millions of Indians in life and death.On August 6th, 2011, a U.S. “If I am able to inspire even one child to believe in himself/herself, I would have achieved my objective of writing this letter.” Never lose hope, never think that you cannot be good at what you want to be,” he wrote. “It is ok to be mediocre…Whatever you work towards, be dedicated, do your best. This allowed an accurate analysis of the fault on the indigenously designed fighter and further institution of preventive measures against recurrence,” the citation added.Ī month after he was awarded Shaurya Chakra, Varun wrote a warm letter to his school principal with a request that his message be shared with the students of Army Public School in Chandimandir. The pilot went beyond the call of duty and landed the aircraft taking calculated risks. “He displayed extraordinary courage and skill to safely land the fighter aircraft. Despite being in extreme physical and mental stress in a life-threatening situation, he maintained exemplary composure and regained control of the aircraft, thereby exhibiting exceptional flying skills,” the Shaurya Chakra citation said. “There was rapid loss of altitude, with the aircraft pitching up and down viciously. It was a life-or-death situation but Varun prevailed and went on to land the plane. On October 12, 2020, Varun, then a wing commander, was on an LCA test sortie when sudden loss of cockpit pressurisation at high altitude triggered some nerve-racking moments. If it were not for Varun’s brave efforts and his decision not to bail out, the aircraft would have become the first LCA to crash. The award was a deserved recognition of his heroism in the cockpit of what then seemed to be a doomed fighter aircraft. “However, I took a few calculated risks and managed to land without any damage to either the aircraft or civilians,” he later said. The standard operating procedure required him to eject and abandon the aircraft. Just four months ago, on August 15, Varun was awarded Shaurya Chakra, India’s third-highest peacetime gallantry medal, for exceptional courage and remarkable presence of mind in handling a rare mid-air emergency involving the locally-built Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA). He was a test pilot and had flown several fighter aircraft in the IAF’s combat fleet. Varun was directing staff (air) at DSSC and the CDS’s liaison officer for the visit. But the air traffic control at Sulur lost contact with the helicopter at 12.08 pm when it was just seven minutes from its destination. It took off from the Sulur air base at 11.48 am, and was scheduled to land in Wellington at 12.15 pm. Rawat was on a visit to the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) at Wellington to deliver a talk when the Mi-17V5 crashed near Coonoor. We stand firmly with the family, in this hour of grief,” he added. My thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and friends. “He was a true fighter who fought till his last breath. The defence minister, who was in touch with Varun’s family, said the untimely demise had pained him beyond words. His rich service to the nation will never be forgotten. I am extremely anguished by his passing away. “Group Captain Varun Singh served the nation with pride, valour and utmost professionalism. Tributes poured in for the group captain from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and several others. He was commissioned in IAF as a fighter pilot in 2004. He had encountered a rare, life-threatening emergency aboard his fighter jet in October 2020, but his lightning reflexes and flying skills averted a crash. IAF offers sincere condolences and stands firmly with the bereaved family,” the Indian Air Force said in a statement.Ī top-notch fighter pilot, Varun was flying in the ill-fated Russian-origin helicopter as a passenger. “IAF is deeply saddened to inform the passing away of braveheart Group Captain Varun Singh, who succumbed this morning to the injuries sustained in the helicopter accident. The chances of his survival were grim from the beginning - he suffered 95% burns - but the entire country was hoping and praying for a miraculous recovery. The 39-year-old died of burn injuries at the Air Force Command Hospital in Bengaluru, and is survived by his wife, Geetanjali Singh, and two children aged 11 and eight. Group Captain Varun Singh, the only man to have survived the December 8 Mi-17V5 chopper crash that killed 13 people including chief of defence staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, passed away on Wednesday morning. Group Captain Varun Singh, the only man to have survived the December 8 Mi-17V5 chopper crash that killed 13 people including chief of defence staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, passed away on Wednesday morning after putting up a brave, week-long fight against death.
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