Captain Avinash Yeshwant Somvanshi was an Indian Army officer who served with 39 (Independent) Recce and Observation Flight after transferring to Army Aviation for flying duties.
Captain Somvanshi hailed from Borgaon in Solapur district of Maharashtra. He studied in Akluj up to Class X and later moved to Aurangabad while preparing for entry into the National Defence Academy. He was an alumnus of the 114th National Defence Academy course.
He was commissioned into the 12 Dogra Regiment in 2009 after completing his training at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. With a strong interest in flying, he subsequently underwent flying training and moved into Army Aviation.
In 2014, Captain Somvanshi was serving with 39 (Independent) Recce and Observation Flight at the Army base in Bareilly.
On 1 October 2014, he was part of a Cheetah helicopter crew tasked with a reconnaissance mission in the Munsiyari area of Pithoragarh near the India-China border. Major Abhijai Thapa was the pilot and Major Vikas Varyani was serving as the engineering officer.
After completing the mission, the aircraft began its return journey. During the flight, a serious rotor-related technical emergency developed while the helicopter was over the densely populated area of Bhartol village and near the lines of 54 Engineer Regiment.
Captain Somvanshi and the other crew members immediately faced the danger of the aircraft crashing into the populated area. A distress call was transmitted to air traffic control and measures were taken to divert the aircraft away from the people and military personnel on the ground.
Captain Somvanshi also helped in cutting off the fuel supply to the engine to reduce the possibility of fire and collateral damage. The crew succeeded in moving the crippled aircraft away from the inhabited area before it crashed.
Major Abhijai Thapa, Major Vikas Varyani and Captain Avinash Yeshwant Somvanshi made the supreme sacrifice in the crash.
Captain Somvanshi was 26 years old at the time of his martyrdom. He had married Sonali only four months before the tragedy. He was survived by his father Yashwant Somvanshi, mother Janeshwari and wife Sonali.
For his service and conduct during the emergency, Captain Avinash Yeshwant Somvanshi was posthumously awarded the Sena Medal.
His final mission remains part of the record of the three Army aviation officers who made the supreme sacrifice on 1 October 2014 while attempting to keep their damaged aircraft away from a populated area.
