Rajasthan: IAF's MiG-21 crashes, pilot ejects safely
A MiG-21 fighter jet of Indian Air Force crashed near Nal in Rajasthan on Friday. The pilot ejected safely, the IAF said in a statement. The jet was on a routine mission when the accident happened. Initial reports claimed the jet malfunctioned due to a bird hit. A Court of Inquiry will be set up to investigate the case. Here's more.
Here are the visuals from the spot
Visuals: MiG-21 aircraft on a routine mission crashed today after getting airborne from Nal near Bikaner. The pilot of the aircraft ejected safely. Court of inquiry will investigate the cause of the accident. #Rajasthan pic.twitter.com/2HnWciPEB8
— ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2019
Police rushed to spot, cordoned off the area
Divulging more details about the incident, Bikaner SP Pradeep Mohan Sharma said the jet crashed some 12 km away from the city. As soon as police learned of the incident, they rushed to the spot. The area has been cordoned off. IAF revealed the jet was a single-seater. This worrisome incident comes days after IAF's Mi-17 jet crashed in Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
Last week, an IAF jet crashed killing everyone onboard
On February 27, the IAF jet crashed due to technical issue, killing all six onboard. Those who lost their lives in the fateful crash were Squadron Leader Siddharth Vashisht, Squadron Leader Ninad Mandavgane, Sergeant Vikrant Sehrawat, Corporal Pankaj Kumar, Corporal Deepak Pandey, and Kumar Pandey. The accident took place around the same time when IAF and PAF jets were locked in a dogfight.
MiG-21 has been in news lately
The MiG-21 jet has been in the news after Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman scripted history piloting it. The IAF pilot shot down a US-made F-16 on February 27 before landing in Pakistan. He was released by neighboring country almost three days later. The pilot underwent mandatory medical check-ups after his homecoming. Results of the tests will decide whether he can fly again or not.
