Three army officers were killed and a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) was critically injured on Wednesday when a Cheetah helicopter crashed at Sukna Military Base near Siliguri in West Bengal.

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The crash took place around 11.45 am when the officers were on a routine mission. Just when it was about to land near the helipad inside the base, it crashed leaving the pilot and two co-pilots dead. The deceased officers are - Major Sanjeev Lathar, Major Arvind Bazala and Lt. Col Rajneesh Kumar.

A JCO was evacuated and admitted to a hospital in critical condition.

Sources in the Army Eastern Command Headquarters reveal that the engine of the Cheetah helicopter failed at 100ft and lost communication with the ATC and crashed. However, there is no official word on the cause of the crash and senior officials maintained that it would be revealed after the inquiry.

The army's 33 Corps is based at Sukna and all aircrafts of the army are run by the Army Aviation Corps.

A Court of Inquiry has been ordered into the incident.