Chandigarh: A MiG-21 'Bison' fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force on Tuesday crashed near Shambu in Punjab's Patiala district during a routine sortie even as the pilot bailed out safely, the fourth mishap this year involving such an aircraft type.
The plane had taken off from Ambala and crashed at 1027 hours, 30 kms from Chandigarh, as it was returning to Air Force Station.
A Court of Inquiry (CoI) has been ordered to ascertain the exact cause of the accident, an IAF spokesman said in Delhi.
The pilot, Flt Lt Arunav Ghosh suffered minor injuries and was taken by a helicopter to Ambala where he was admitted to the Army Hospital.
This is the fifth air crash involving IAF's fighter aircraft this year and the fourth involving a MiG 21 series warplane.
The aircraft crashed in the fields close to Shambu, Patiala's Senior Superintendent of Police, GS Gill said over phone.
"The plane crashed just 500 metres away from the Shambu toll barrier. Had it fallen on the highway, it could have caused casualties. It was a miraculous escape for many today and the pilot showed good presence of mind," he said.
Tthe pilot apparently landed close to the Delhi-Amritsar GT Road after ejecting from the plane safely, police sources said.
The crash impact left a 10-foot-deep hole in the ground. The 'black box' of the aircraft was recovered in the evening, a Haryana Government release said.
Two each MiG 21 Bisons and Type 96 aircraft have crashed this year. In view of the increasing number of accidents involving this aircraft type, the IAF has decided to phase them out by 2017.
From 2012, it is also planning to allow only experienced fighter pilots to fly the plane. Of the total 976 MiG 21s inducted in service since 1960s, over half of them have been lost in crashes.
Comments
0 comment