A fighter jet of the Indian Navy crashed on Saturday, local Indian media reported. The back to back jet crash incidents raise question on the maintenance standard of the Indian aircrafts.
The aircraft, a MIG-29k, crashed shortly after taking off near Goa. Both pilots had ejected after the plane got out of control. A search operation is underway for the pilots.
The MiG-29K is an aircraft carrier version of the MiG-29. It was deployed at Indian Navy Air Station Hansa Dabolim and deputed for aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.
According to Indian Navy, the trainer aircraft crashed as it suffered an engine fire. Indian media, however claimed that it was because of a bird strike.
During a training mission, after take off from INS HANSA at Dabolim a Mig 29k trainer aircraft suffered an engine fire. The pilots Capt M Sheokhand and Lt Cdr Deepak Yadav ejected safely. @SpokespersonMoD
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) November 16, 2019
Also Read: Indian helicopter with Northern Army Commander aboard crash-lands in Kashmir
On Oct 24, an Indian army helicopter with Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Ranbeer Singh on board crash-landed in occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district.
According to Indian media, seven people including the Indian northern army commander were aboard the chopper. Indian officials had said that no casualty took place in the incident. They had said the chopper had encountered a technical issue, therefore it had to make an emergency landing.
An investigation had been launched into the crash-landing.
On Sept 25, an Indian Air Force trainer jet MiG-21 had crashed near the city of Gwalior, while both the pilots, a group captain and squadron leader, had ejected safely.
The MiG-21 was on a routine training from Gwalior Airbase when the accident took place near the airfield in the morning in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district.
“The two pilots ejected safely according to the information passed to us from the village head from the spot, some 60 km from the district headquarters,” Bhind Superintendent of Police Rudolf Alvares had told the Press Trust of India.
“We informed the IAF officials in Gwalior about the incident,” the police officer had said.
