MiG 21 crashes in Bengal, pilot safe (Lead)
May 23rd, 2008 - 8:40 pm ICT by admin
Kolkata/New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) In a fifth crash of an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft this year, a MiG-21 fighter caught fire while landing at West Bengal’s Bagdogra airport Friday, but the pilot managed to eject unharmed, an official said. “There was a technical snag in the aircraft and one of the wheels got jammed. So the pilot belly landed. Because it was landing at such a high speed, the aircraft caught fire,” defence ministry spokesperson R.K. Das said in Kolkata.
The Bagdogra airport is a military facility that is open for civilian flights as well. It is located 16 km from Siliguri town in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district.
“The aircraft has been destroyed completely. A court of inquiry has been ordered into the cause of the crash,” an air force official in New Delhi said.
An HPT-32 training aircraft had crashed May 13, killing its woman pilot.
On April 29 a newly acquired Hawk advanced jet trainer crashed in Bidar but the pilot ejected safely.
On Jan 31, a MiG-21 crashed in Hashimara while on Feb 21 another MiG-21 crashed in Bhuj in Gujarat. But the pilots ejected to safety.
- IAF's MiG fighter crashes, pilot safe (Second Lead) - Feb 04, 2011
- MiG fighter crashes in Punjab, pilot safe (Lead) - Jun 15, 2010
- Indian Air Force MiG-21 crashes in West Bengal, pilot safe - Feb 19, 2010
- Mig-27 crashes in West Bengal - Jul 24, 2010
- MiG 27 crash toll rises to three - Jul 25, 2010
- IAF loses another MiG-21, pilot safe (Second Lead) - Jun 15, 2010
- MiG 27 crashes in West Bengal, debris kills one (Third Lead) - Jul 24, 2010
- IAF MiG-27 crashes in Rajasthan, pilot safe (Lead) - Nov 10, 2010
- MiG crashes due to pilots' inexperience: IAF chief - Oct 08, 2011
- Fighter jet crashes in northwestern India, killing the pilot - Aug 02, 2011
- IAF MiG-21 crashes in West Bengal, pilot safe - Feb 19, 2010
- MiG-27 crashes in West Bengal, pilot killed - Feb 16, 2010
- MiG-27 crashes in West Bengal, pilot killed (Lead) - Feb 16, 2010
- IAF MiG crashes, pilot safe (Lead) - Feb 04, 2011
- Pilot safe as MiG-21 crashes in Haryana (Lead, Changing Dateline) - Dec 02, 2011
Tags: april 29, bagdogra airport, bhuj, bidar, civilian flights, crashes, darjeeling district, defence ministry, gujarat, hawk, hpt, indian air force, jet trainer, mig 21, military facility, New Delhi, spokesperson, technical snag, west bengal, woman pilot