'Weird sound and a loud crash,' man who captured last visual of IAF chopper narrates experience

Nilgiri: The man who captured the last visuals of the IAF helicopter in Coonoor right before it crashed has been identified. Coimbatore native and photographer Joe said that he started recording the video on hearing the helicopter descend. The video that has a duration of 19 seconds had come out the other day.

‘I heard the sound of the helicopter flying by while I was taking photos. I wondered why the helicopter was flying at that time. I took the video as I felt a difference in the way it sounded. I heard the sound of a crash 5 seconds after the helicopter disappeared into the thick clouds. I did not hear anything else after that. My friend came running and asked me if the helicopter had crashed. I replied that it had. Then we returned to my friend’s place. I learnt about the accident while watching TV there. The media was reporting it in different ways and there was no clarity or any sort of evidence. I decided to go back and submit the video as evidence. I went to the Nilgiri collector’s office to exchange the video. Nobody was there, so I went to the police station. Two constables there had gone to the accident site. When I went to the accident site, several VIP vehicles were passing by. I handed over the visuals to the officers who were there and left,’ said Joe.

Ramanathapuram native Nasar and his family were also seen in the video. They had gone to Ooty on a trip and had gone to the railway track in Katteri to take photos. It was after this Joe captured the last visuals of the helicopter. 

The visuals of the helicopter have been handed over to the Coimbatore Commissioner. Air Force officers arrived at this location and inspected the place as part of the investigation.