The last words of the pilot

(October, 24, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) “Take this chain and give it to my wife, because I can’t be sure if I will return alive,” were the last words of the Air Force pilot who flew the ill fated Bell 212 helicopter which crashed while pursuing the LTTE aircraft involved in the attack on the Anuradhapura airbase on Monday.

The pilot, Squadron Leader Amila Mohotty, had handed the chain to a friend before taking off to give chase to the two LTTE light aircraft, accompanied by another helicopter, only to face fire from anti aircraft guns on the ground which hit his helicopter and brought it down in Mihintale, some 12km from the airbase, killing all four Air Force personnel on board, according to his grieving colleagues.

The Bell 212 helicopter was shot down by an anti aircraft gun within the perimeter of the airbase and investigators will have to find out whether the gun was fired by a member of the security forces who had mistaken the helicopter for an LTTE aircraft, or by LTTE cadres who had infiltrated the base.

Air Force colleagues of the pilot of the ill fated helicopter, who did not wish to be identified, also claim that the authorities in Colombo had asked the Anuradhapura airbase to fire at any aircraft in the sky as none of the government owned planes were in the Anuradhapura air space at the time.

The miscommunication between Colombo and Anuradhapura could have led to the security forces shooting down the Bell 212 in the dark, sources said.

Courtesy- Daily Mirror in Colombo