Sri Lankan Air Force Helicopter Crash Claims Six Lives During Training Mission



On May 9, 2025, a tragic accident struck the Sri Lankan military when a Bell 212 helicopter belonging to the Sri Lanka Air Force crashed into the Maduru Oya reservoir in the North Central Province, resulting in the deaths of six army personnel.


The helicopter, carrying 12 military personnel including two Air Force gunners and four Special Forces personnel, had taken off from Hingurakgoda Air Force Base to participate in a training operation associated with a passing-out ceremony at the Special Forces Training School in Maduru Oya. The mission involved a heli-rappelling demonstration, a fast-roping maneuver showcasing the troops’ skills in descending from a hovering helicopter.


Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft reportedly encountered a technical malfunction, prompting the pilots to attempt an emergency landing. Unfortunately, the helicopter crashed into the reservoir at approximately 8:17 a.m., abruptly ending the demonstration and the lives of six personnel despite immediate rescue efforts.


The survivors, six in number, were initially treated at the Aralaganwila Regional Hospital before some were transferred to Polonnaruwa General Hospital for further care. Despite medical intervention, four Special Forces soldiers and two Air Force gunners succumbed to their injuries.


In response to the incident, the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe, appointed a nine-member committee to conduct a thorough investigation into the crash’s cause, which remains under examination. Early reports suggest a technical fault as the likely cause, though no definitive conclusions have yet been reached.


The Bell 212 helicopter, inducted into the Sri Lankan Air Force in 1984, is a veteran aircraft model extensively used in past conflicts, including the country’s protracted civil war. Despite this accident, defense officials have indicated no immediate concerns over the overall airworthiness of the SLAF helicopter fleet, pending investigation results.


This crash marks the deadliest air force accident in Sri Lanka since a Y-12 aircraft crash in January 2020 that killed four crew members. It also recalls the 2000 Mi-17 helicopter disaster, the worst in the nation’s history, which claimed 15 lives including a prominent political leader.


The incident has cast a somber shadow over the graduation ceremony and highlighted the risks faced by military personnel even during peacetime training. Rescue and recovery operations continue as the nation mourns the loss of its brave soldiers.

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