Sergeant Gautam Kumar of the Indian Air Force made the supreme sacrifice on 6 October 2017 in Arunachal Pradesh.
He was serving with 157 Helicopter Unit as the flight engineer aboard an Mi-17 V5 helicopter assigned to an air maintenance mission.
The aircraft took off from the Khirmu helipad carrying supplies for forward Army posts in the Tawang sector. It was undertaking its second routine air maintenance sortie of the day.
The helicopter crashed near the dropping zone at around 0659 hours and caught fire. All seven defence personnel aboard sustained fatal injuries.
Sergeant Gautam Kumar made the supreme sacrifice along with the other four IAF personnel and two Army soldiers aboard the aircraft.
He had served in the Indian Air Force for more than a decade and was performing the vital responsibilities of a flight engineer on the mission.
The Honour Post honours Sergeant Gautam Kumar and pays tribute to his supreme sacrifice.
