A selfie showing injured Army officers near the wreckage of a crashed Cheetah helicopter in Ladakh has surfaced days after the high-altitude accident
May 23, 2026: A selfie taken by an injured Indian Army officer after surviving a helicopter crash in Ladakh has surfaced online, drawing attention to the dramatic escape of all three personnel onboard. The crash involved a single-engine Army Cheetah helicopter carrying senior officers in the mountainous Tangste region near Leh on May 20, though details of the incident became public on Friday.
The viral image shows Major General Sachin Mehta posing beside the wreckage while one of the pilots flashes a victory sign. The helicopter was carrying Major General Mehta, the General Officer Commanding of the 3 Infantry Division, along with two pilots — a lieutenant colonel and a major — when it crashed near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. Officials confirmed that all three occupants escaped with minor injuries and described their survival as “nothing short of a miracle” considering the harsh terrain and difficult flying conditions in eastern Ladakh.
Army officials said aviation operations in eastern Ladakh remain highly challenging because of steep mountainous terrain, unpredictable weather and thin air at high altitude. The ageing Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, which are widely used for transport and logistics missions in forward areas, are expected to be phased out gradually and replaced by Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) as part of the Army’s modernisation plans. Authorities noted that more than 15 Cheetah and Chetak helicopters have crashed over the past decade, increasing concerns over operational safety in remote Himalayan regions.