Service No : 33881 F(P)
Place of birth : Meerut, Uttar Pradesh
Last Rank : Squadron Leader
Unit : 23 Sqn AF
Arm/Regt : Indian Air Force
Martyrdom : May 21, 2021
Sqn Ldr Abhinav Chaudhary
Sqn Ldr Abhinav Chaudhary hailed from Pusar village in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh. Son of Shri Satyendra Chaudhary and Smt Satya Chaudhary, he had a sister Mudrika as his sibling. He had a strong desire to join the armed forces right from his childhood, which grew along with his age. After completing his initial schooling from Meerut, he got selected to join the prestigious Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) Dehradun. It was at this place, that the foundation of his future military career was laid. Subsequently he got selected for the NDA and joined it in the year 2010. He joined the "R" Squadron in NDA and excelled in various activities during his training period. He passed out of NDA as part of 124th course in the year 2013.
Later he was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in the fighter stream from Air Force Academy (AFA) in the year 2014. He underwent multi-phases flying training and got trained as a fighter pilot. After completing his training, he got posted to the Air Force base at Pathankot. He joined the fighter squadron at the base, operating MiG-21 Bison aircraft. After serving for few years, he got married to Ms Sonika Ujjaval on 25 Dec 2019. By 2021, he had put in around 7 years of service and had been promoted to the rank of Squadron Leader. By that time Sqn Ldr Abhinav Chaudhary had evolved into a professionally competent fighter pilot with substantial experience in various air operations.
MiG-21 Aircraft Crash: 21 May 2021
During May 2021, Sqn Ldr Abhinav Chaudhary was serving with 23 Sqn, known as 'Panthers" based at Air Force Station Suratgarh in Rajasthan. 23 Squadron was formed at Pune in the year 1956 with the de Havilland Vampires with Sqn Ldr Kanwar Singh as its first commanding officer. Later it was armed with Gnat aircraft in 1960s and eventually Mig-21 Bison. During peacetime training is one of the most important activities of IAF which helps it to remain prepared to take on any eventuality. A war-like situation is created in the air for the pilots to practice and remain updated. Sqn Ldr Abhinav Chaudhary too was undertaking training sorties to practice complex air operations on a regular basis. On 20 May 2021, Sqn Ldr Abhinav Chaudhary was undertaking another such sortie.
Sqn Ldr Abhinav Chaudhary took off from Air Force Station Suratgarh as planned for the night mission on 20 May 2021. However the aircraft developed some serous technical snag and Sqn Ldr Abhinav Chaudhary had no choice but to eject. The aircraft was seen circling over the fields in Langeana village in Moga district in Punjab before coming down. Sqn Ldr Abhinav Choudhary using his flying skills probably tried to manoevre the aircraft away from residential area of the village to minimize the loss of life and property. But eventually the aircraft crashed near Langeana village at around 0100 Hrs on 21 May 2021. However Sqn Ldr Abhinav Choudhary could not survive the crash and succumbed to his injuries. His body was found 2 km away from the crash spot after an intense search of nearly four hours. His parachute was found open and an SOS was also sent from his device to IAF, but he had lost the battle of life by then. He tried to land safely using the parachute, but apparently broke his neck and spinal cord. Sqn Ldr Abhinav Choudhary was a committed soldier and a gallant air warrior who laid down his life in the service of the nation.
Sqn Ldr Abhinav Chaudhary is survived by his by his father Shri Satyendra Chaudhary, mother Smt Satya Chaudhary, wife Smt Sonika Ujjaval and sister Mudrika.
Gaurav meena
2021 at 5:59 pmHey sir
Krishna Rai
2021 at 9:56 amWe can live a normal life because we have Indian soldiers who are witnessing abnormal days every day to keep us safe and protected. Thank You for protecting us.
Fakhare Alam
2021 at 10:10 amBig solute to our soldier, who fought for us till last breath of their life’s.
You all of our real hero.
Shivangi Kapoor
2021 at 11:05 amI feel blessed to be able to pay my tribute here. The aircraft hero, Sqn Ldr Abhinav Chaudhary, was a man of skills. Heartfelt thanks for your sacrifice towards our Nation. Feeling very proud that we had a man like you in our Air Force. My sincere respect and salute to your dedication and courageous act for the cause of our nation.
May your divine soul Rest In Peace!
Kanhaiya Gupta
2021 at 10:34 amDear Hero,
I just wanted say ‘Thank you’ for your service to protect our freedom. Because of your sacrifices, I can live safely work confidently & enjoy my card making with my friends every month. Every day myself after work. It is my therapy and small tocken of my appreciation for your service.
“Thank you”
Vuhasree
2021 at 5:37 pmI from my bottom of the heart understand the family would had gone through or is going through a lot. It is not easy to consume the fact that you have lost your child, husband and brother. But there very few people in the world who live for purpose and die for that purpose and Sqn Ldr Abhinav had one. Though sometimes it may feel like people forget but in some part of the country your son would an inspiration for people to join armed forces. Huge respect to the family who supported him and I wish god gives you all the strength and support required.
Santosh Asawa
2021 at 10:05 amDear Sir,
It’s always matter of Pride for me and my family members whenever we we see soldiers around. We salute you and ur dedicated towards nations and its well being.
Ur undoubtedly Our heroes in day to day life.
we draw lot of inspiration from u.
Heartfelt Thank You for keeping our Flag high always.
Ur sacrifice will always be remember
Lots of love and strength to ur family members.
Hiran Jyoti Bora
2021 at 10:52 amWe are proud of you sir. It is a great loss for our country. We remember you sir for your great sacrifice for our country. I salute to your parents and you from bottom of my heart. jai hind.
Akash Pednekar
2021 at 5:38 pmSqn Ldr Abhinav Chaudhary is reminiscent of a friend who is coincidentally a pilot in the Air Force as well. I have heard many great stories about the discipline and the efforts that being put to reach the heights often deemed unattainable. A hearty salute to the rigour and altruism for protecting the people of India. Jai Hind!
Tanisha Sondhi
2021 at 5:53 pmI thank you for your ultimate sacrifice, selflessness and bravery. I feel very proud that we had such a dedicated and passionate man like you in our Air Force. All Indians are indebted to you and your family. I shall strive to make Mother India proud of myself and your sacrifice shall not be in vain.
Parth Sachdeva
2021 at 5:53 pmIt is so painful to not have you in this world, but I would tell you I am proud of you, your family and your service for the nation. You are not a normal officer of any civil office in this nation, but you were, are and will always be a warrier, a hero for all of us. So Proud of you. And I hope wherever you are, you will be a real hero there also. Jai Hind Sqn Ldr Abhinav. “Main Agar Chaiin se so pata hu, toh sirf aapke balidaan ki vajah se”. One Again. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat.
Aditya Ramamoorthy
2021 at 7:05 pmIt’s an absolute honour for me to be able to play tribute to a warrior like Sqn Ldr Abhinav Chaudhary. I understand what a loss it is for the family, but it is also a huge loss to our nation that a man of his caliber and skills is no more. My thoughts are with his family and I would like to convey my heartfelt condolences to them. I would like to assure them that we as a nation stand with them to mourn the loss of a hero and that they are not alone in this battle. Jai Hind!
Ramanagouda S Patil
2021 at 9:56 amJai hind, here its very pleasure and greatfull thing to salute you for your services and sacrifice of whole life to save country as a great warrior so again its a great selute to you from my heart and to your family also
Mihika Gandhi
2021 at 8:05 pmI am honored to express my heartfelt gratitude to Sqn Leader Abhinav Chaudhary who is a man I look up to. Not only did sir perform all duties with full diligence towards the country but he was so selfless that even in the alarming situation of the aircraft showing signs of technical defaults and thus posing risk to his life, he thought about the well being of the people in the village and tactfully took the aircraft off the village, which ultimately led to his sad demise. We will forever remember this sacrifice and cherish you and your legacy for years to come, sir. Also, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to his family. Jai Hind!
Aniruddha Agarwal
2021 at 9:50 pmIt is a great honour for our country to have had heroes like you with us. There is nothing braver than serving the country and protecting it. I can’t thank you enough for the sacrifice that you have made and words are not enough to convey the bravery you have showed. I am very proud of you. Thank you again for everything. Jai Hind!
Ashwin Sanghani
2021 at 9:49 amI am sincerely grateful for your service and sacrifice. I’m certain it comes with many sacrifices and I thank you and your family each and everyday. Words are not enough to express the gratitude I hold in my heart for our veterans.
Words are not Sufficient to express my Gratitude …..Thank you for your service!
Regards
Ashwin Sanghani