September 2, 2009: YSR dies in chopper crash

The helicopter crash which claimed the life of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S R Reddy was caused by pilots' error who lost the chopper's control and were engrossed for vital six minutes trying to locate a flight manual, the probe report said on Wednesday.

  • Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's body was found along with four others on Thursday, September 2, 2009 atop the Rudrakonda hill in the Nallamala range, about 40 nautical miles east of Kurnool. Commandos reached his helicopter 24 hours after it crashed.
    Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's body was found along with four others on Thursday, September 2, 2009 atop the Rudrakonda hill in the Nallamala range, about 40 nautical miles east of Kurnool. Commandos reached his helicopter 24 hours after it crashed.
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  • The helicopter went missing after it lost contact with the Air Traffic Control (ATC), Chennai at 0913 hrs on Wednesday, September 2 - an hour after it took off from the Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad. (AFP Photo)
    The helicopter went missing after it lost contact with the Air Traffic Control (ATC), Chennai at 0913 hrs on Wednesday, September 2 - an hour after it took off from the Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad. (AFP Photo)
  • The weather had turned stormy with gales of wind and bursts of rain. The chopper was last spotted between 9:15 and 9:30 am. It was later found 10 km from Atmakur in Kurnool district.
    The weather had turned stormy with gales of wind and bursts of rain. The chopper was last spotted between 9:15 and 9:30 am. It was later found 10 km from Atmakur in Kurnool district.
  • YSR was travelling with his special secretary Subramaniam, chief security officer Wilson, and two pilots Group captain S K Bhatia and Capt M S Reddy on the seven-seater Bell 430 helicopter. Several rescue missions were pressed into service to locate the missing chopper. With hardly any roads, and no mobile or radio networks, the rescue mission lasted over 23 hours. (AP Photo)
    YSR was travelling with his special secretary Subramaniam, chief security officer Wilson, and two pilots Group captain S K Bhatia and Capt M S Reddy on the seven-seater Bell 430 helicopter. Several rescue missions were pressed into service to locate the missing chopper. With hardly any roads, and no mobile or radio networks, the rescue mission lasted over 23 hours. (AP Photo)
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  • The 225 square kilometer area was divided into 7 sectors and one chopper was assigned to each of these sectors. The search operations also focused on water bodies like the Krishna River and the streams and rivulets in the forest. (AP Photo)
    The 225 square kilometer area was divided into 7 sectors and one chopper was assigned to each of these sectors. The search operations also focused on water bodies like the Krishna River and the streams and rivulets in the forest. (AP Photo)
  • These images are taken from 1.5 km above the site where the Andhra Chief Minister's helicopter crashed. They were taken using a Large Format Digital camera installed on the low-flying ISRO-NRSA owned Beechcraft.
    These images are taken from 1.5 km above the site where the Andhra Chief Minister's helicopter crashed. They were taken using a Large Format Digital camera installed on the low-flying ISRO-NRSA owned Beechcraft.
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