Nagendra was an alumnus of Sainik School Korukonda. He was initially in the 55th course and was elevated to the colloquial NDA BRIGADIER midway to join the 56th course. As in school, so in his squadron, one couldn’t have asked for a more accommodating cadet than dear Nagendra. He did his job quietly, remained mid stream, avoided the horse from behind, and his seniors and the Divo from the front! Remained cool and stealthily passed out as an AF cadet- Nagendra was from the elite Bravo Squadron of the NDA 56th- the squadron which for our course produced the first two AOC-in-Cs in SBP Sinha & SRK Nair.

Nagendra was commissioned into the transport stream of the IAF. Initially, he flew the tiny and agile Otter. He was posted in 41 Squadron based at DELHI. This aircraft could operate from a grass strip of the size of half a Hockey field. Later, in the mid-eighties, he upgraded to the AN-32 aircraft. It was here that his peers and seniors started taking notice of this quiet, soft-spoken, humble officer, and gentleman- Nagendra. He was so unassuming and non-interfering that many a time, he was mistakenly marked off as an introvert. It was only after interacting with him that his squadron friends found him to be extremely patient, who would deliver his best every time. He was always willing to help, only if he was asked for, or if he was a part of a group activity. He was such an easy-going and non-demanding friend that at times he was taken for granted. He was a QFI ( Qualified Flying Instructor ), who did his QFI course at Air Force Station Tambaram in 1987. His trainee pupils were the happiest to be with him. He was a saintly man who was hardly seen and seldom heard. As a QFI he was an acknowledged and a respected professional. Sometime in 1990-91 he was posted to 48 Squadron, based in Chandigarh, as the Squadron QFI and was instructing on the AN-32s.

In 1992 a massive Joint Army-Air Force Operational exercise was conducted. For the first time, a night formation of 12 AN-32s was to position Army formations in a coordinated midnight assault. The night of 01-02 Apr 1992 was the practice before the main event. Nagendra’s position was No. 3 in the trail of 12 AN-32s. It was a pitch dark black, and the formation was very close to the launching base, CHANDIGARH. Formation flying is a precise and demanding task generally done for operational profiles and skill demonstrations by fighter aircraft. In transport aircraft, such tasks are even more demanding. And, if it happens to be at night, the task at hand is even more daunting. In that mission, there were some speed corrections by the lead aircraft cascading into corrections down the line. This led to a situation which resulted in every subsequent aircraft down the line either flying a bit above or a bit below the preceding aircraft to cater for the closure rate. In this situation, at night, with limited visual reference, there was this unfortunate collision between two AN-32s. The propeller of Mandiga’s aircraft was hit, the aircraft went out of control and crashed. There were no survivors. That night was the darkest one for all the families of the occupants of the ill-fated aircraft being flown by Nagendra. The same night, three neighbors from the same block in the Officers’ colony perished. Indeed, it was a sad night for many.

Details on the family of our dear Nagendra are not readily available. It has been over 28 years since that unfortunate accident which snatched our dear Nagendra from us. Mrs Nagendra was a very nice polite and a friendly lady. She hailed from Rajahmundry, where her father was a renowned Eye Surgeon.

🙏May his soul rest in peace🙏