Lieutenant Colonel Saurabh Yadav was an officer of the Army Aviation Corps and served with 21 Recce & Observation Flight. Born in 1984 in Jaipur, Rajasthan, he underwent Army Aviation training and became a qualified helicopter pilot and Qualified Flying Instructor.
He served as a helicopter pilot in one of the Indian Army's most demanding aviation formations and had risen to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel by 2022.
On 5 October 2022, Lieutenant Colonel Saurabh Yadav was flying a Cheetah helicopter with another pilot on a routine sortie in the forward area near Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh. The helicopter crashed near the Nyamjang Chu area during the sortie.
Both pilots were evacuated for medical treatment. Lieutenant Colonel Saurabh Yadav sustained critical injuries and later succumbed during treatment, making the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.
The Indian Army paid tribute to Lieutenant Colonel Saurabh Yadav following the crash. A Court of Inquiry was ordered to establish the circumstances that led to the accident.
His sacrifice remains part of the proud record of the Army Aviation Corps and the Indian Army.
