A major tragedy was averted as the pilot pointed the aircraft away from populated areas
Debris of the crashed MIG trainer aircraft.
Dabolim (Goa): A MIG 29K trainer aircraft crashed after encountering a flock of birds soon after taking off from the INS Hansa Air Base in Goa’s Dabolim. Both pilots ejected safely from the aircraft, Indian Navy Flag Officer, Goa, Rear Admiral Philipose George Pynumootil was quoted saying by PTI
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According to a defence release, the pilot observed the left engine had flamed out and the right engine had caught fire. Thus, attempts to recover the aircraft were unsuccessful due to damage and low height.
A major tragedy was averted as the pilot pointed the aircraft away from populated areas. The officer said the aircraft was on a regular training sortie when the incident occurred. A villager said the aircraft crashed on a rocky plateau on the outskirts of Verna, 15 km from the state capital, around noon. The wreckage of the aircraft lay strewn in one-km area, he said.
The pilots Capt M Sheokhand and Lt Cdr Deepak Yadav were administered first-aid and shifted to a hospital in Vasco. The Indian Navy and the Goa Police have cordoned off the site of the mishap and are in the process of clearing the wreckage. An inquiry has been instituted by the Navy.
With inputs from PTI
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