SLAF OFFICER KILLED DURING PARACHUTING TRAINING ACCIDENT IN AMPARA
8:32pm on Saturday 20th March 2021
This morning (20 March 2021) during a parachute training exercise which was conducted at Ampara around 0730 Hours, two parachute troopers of the SLAF who were conducting a training exercise faced an unfortunate accident. Due to an unexpected change in wind direction at an approximate height between 40 – 70 feet the parachutes of these two parachute troopers had an entanglement and thus caused the unfortunate accident.
Following the accident, the two troopers, Squadron Leader Manoj Padmathilaka and 32626 Sergeant Abeykoon were taken to the District General Hospital Ampara where the Officer (Squadron Leader) was declared as deceased. The Airman (Sergeant) is being treated for the injuries that he sustained during the accident in the Ampara Hospital Intensive Care Unit.
The late Squadron Leader Manoj Padmathilaka who was a well experienced parachute trooper joined the Sri Lanka Air Force on the 28th of September 2008 as an Officer Cadet of the No 26th Kotelawala Defence University Intake. The Officer is a resident of Polgolla, married and was a past pupil of Vidyartha College, Kandy.
The Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana has appointed a special investigation Committee to look in to the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident.
The late Squadron Leader Manoj Padmathilaka who was a well experienced parachute trooper joined the Sri Lanka Air Force on the 28th of September 2008 as an Officer Cadet of the No 26th Kotelawala Defence University Intake. The Officer is a resident of Polgolla, married and was a past pupil of Vidyartha College, Kandy.
The Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana has appointed a special investigation Committee to look in to the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident.
