Captain Avinash Yeshwant Somavanshi was an officer of the Indian Army from Borgaon village in Solapur district, Maharashtra. He studied in Akluj before preparing for the National Defence Academy entrance examination in Aurangabad. He was an alumnus of the 114th course of the National Defence Academy and received his military training at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He was commissioned into the 12th Battalion of the Dogra Regiment in 2009.
Interested in aviation, Captain Somavanshi subsequently undertook flying training and joined the Army Aviation Corps. At the time of the incident, he was serving with 39 (Independent) Reconnaissance and Observation Flight based in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. His work as an Army pilot involved operating helicopters in support of the Army’s aviation tasks.
On 1 October 2014, Captain Somavanshi was part of the crew of a Cheetah helicopter operating from Bareilly. Major Abhijai Thapa was the aircraft captain, Major Vikas Varyani was the engineering officer, and Captain Somavanshi was the other pilot. The helicopter crashed shortly after take-off during a sortie. All three officers aboard the aircraft died. The Army ordered an inquiry into the accident; contemporaneous reporting stated that the cause had not yet been established at that time.
Captain Avinash Somavanshi’s service was recognised by the Government of India with the posthumous award of the Sena Medal (Gallantry) in 2015. He is remembered alongside the two other officers who lost their lives in the Bareilly helicopter crash. His mortal remains were sent to his native place in Solapur district, where his community received him with military honours.