Padmanabha Gautam
Recipient of Maha Vir Chakra
About Padmanabha Gautam
Lived 1933 – 1972 (aged 39). Padmanabha Gautam was an Indian.
Wing Commander Padmanabha Gautam, MVC & Bar, VM (23 July 1933 – 25 November 1972) was an officer in the Indian Air Force. He was awarded the India's second-highest war-time gallantry award, the Maha Vir Chakra twice. Awarded during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Gautam is one of only six officers to have been decorated with the Maha Vir Chakra twice.
Early life and education Gautam was born on 23 July 1933 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu to Neelkanta Padmanabha.
Military career Gautam was commissioned into the Indian Air Force on 1 April 1953. In 1961, he served as a Flight Lieutenant which as deployed in Congo and was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal for his service. On 25 November 1972, he died in an air-crash due to internal bleeding. The engine of his MIG-21FL flamed shortly after take-off and he was forced to crash land.
The citation for the second Maha Vir Chakra awarded to him reads:
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Padmanabha Gautam's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Padmanabha Gautam?
Recipient of Maha Vir Chakra
When was Padmanabha Gautam born?
Padmanabha Gautam was born on 23 July 1933 in Chennai.
When did Padmanabha Gautam die?
Padmanabha Gautam died on 25 November 1972 in Pune.
What nationality was Padmanabha Gautam?
Padmanabha Gautam was Indian.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Padmanabha Gautam
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Padmanabha Gautam. https://biography.guide/padmanabha-gautam/
MLA: "Padmanabha Gautam." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/padmanabha-gautam/.
Chicago: "Padmanabha Gautam." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/padmanabha-gautam/.
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