IAF loses another MiG-21, pilot safe (Second Lead)
June 15th, 2010 - 4:38 pm ICT by IANSChandigarh, June 15 (IANS) The Indian Air Force (IAF) Tuesday lost another MiG-21 fighter jet when it crashed near the Halwara air base in Punjab but the pilot ejected safely, an IAF spokesperson said.
The IAF has ordered an inquiry to know the cause of the crash that took place around 11.25 a.m. just outside the air base nearly 130 km from here in Ludhiana.
The pilot, who took off from Pathankot on routine training, ejected safely.
“The pilot faced some technical difficulty while flying and decided to divert the plane to Halwara. But it crashed about 10 km south of the Halwara air base,” said the spokesperson.
Police in Ludhiana said the crash caused no damage to property on the ground. “The aircraft crashed in an open field,” Deputy Inspector General R.K. Jain said.
It is the third IAF crash involving a MiG fighter plane this year.
The air force lost a MiG-27 Feb 16 in West Bengal. That crash, attributed to defects in the engines of the aircraft, killed Wing Commander Oswald de Abreu.
A MiG-21 crashed Feb 19 at Bagdogra, also in West Bengal. But the pilot ejected and escaped following a sudden loss of engine power.
The IAF has initiated the process of phasing out the MiG-21s that have earned the nickname “flying coffins” because of frequent crashes. It has a fleet of about 250 MiG-21s.
The MiG-21s are about to be replaced by the indigenously built Tejas.
- MiG fighter crashes in Punjab, pilot safe (Lead) - Jun 15, 2010
- IAF's MiG fighter crashes, pilot safe (Second Lead) - Feb 04, 2011
- Fighter jet crashes in northwestern India, killing the pilot - Aug 02, 2011
- Yet another MiG-21 crashes, pilot bails out - Oct 07, 2011
- IAF MiG-27 crashes in Rajasthan, pilot safe (Lead) - Nov 10, 2010
- Indian Air Force MiG-21 crashes in West Bengal, pilot safe - Feb 19, 2010
- MiG fighter crashes, no loss to life - Feb 04, 2011
- IAF Mirage jet crashes, fleet grounded temporarily (Third Lead) - Mar 05, 2012
- MiG-21 crashes in Punjab, pilot safe - Sep 06, 2011
- IAF MiG crashes, pilot safe (Lead) - Feb 04, 2011
- Accident-prone MiG-21 to be flown only by experienced pilots: IAF - Sep 01, 2011
- MiG-27 crashes in West Bengal, pilot killed - Feb 16, 2010
- MiG-27 crashes in West Bengal, pilot killed (Lead) - Feb 16, 2010
- IAF has lost 999 planes in crashes since 1970 - Aug 03, 2011
- MiG crashes due to pilots' inexperience: IAF chief - Oct 08, 2011
Tags: 21s, bagdogra, deputy inspector general, field deputy, fighter jet, fighter plane, fleet, flying coffins, frequent crashes, iaf, indian air force, mig 21, oswald, pathankot, punjab, r k jain, spokesperson, technical difficulty, west bengal, wing commander