The mortal remains of Lt Colonel VVB Reddy, who was among the two pilots killed when a Cheetah helicopter of the Army crashed in Arunachal Pradesh, will arrive at the Begumpet Air Force Station here Friday evening, Defence sources said.
The funeral is likely to be held on March 18.
Reddy had passed out of the National Defence Academy (NDA) and served in the Army for about 20 years, family sources said.
He is survived by his wife and two daughters. Reddy's wife is a dental doctor in the Army.
The family members of Reddy (in his mid 30s) live at Malkajgiri in the city.
Reddy is a native of Bommala Ramaram village in Yadadri-Bhongir district of Telangana, family sources said.
Lt Colonel VVB Reddy and his co-pilot Major Jayanth A, who were on board the helicopter, were killed when it crashed near Mandala in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday morning.
Defence spokesperson Lt Colonel Mahendra Rawat had said in Guwahati that the helicopter was on an operational sortie from Missamari in Assam’s Sonitpur district to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.
The flight encountered "inconducive weather" and was returning to Missamari when it crashed, he had said.
"The helicopter lost contact with Air Traffic Control (ATC) around 9.15 am. Five search parties of the Indian Army, SSB and ITBP were immediately launched. The wreckage of the aircraft was found near Banglajaap east village of Mandala," Rawat said.
"A Court of Inquiry is ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident," he added.
Published 17 March 2023, 11:25 IST