Three women died on Monday when the wreckage of a Mig-21 fighter jet fell on their home in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan. The pilot of the ill-fated aircraft managed to eject and suffered minor injuries. The IAF has ordered the mandatory court of inquiry to ascertain the causes of the mishap.
Giving details in New Delhi, IAF officials said a MiG-21 fighter aircraft crashed at about 9.45 am. The aircraft had got airborne for a routine operational training sortie from the Air Force Station at Suratgarh. Soon thereafter, the pilot experienced an onboard emergency, following which he attempted to recover the aircraft as per existing procedures. Having failed to do so, he initiated an ejection, sustaining minor injuries in the process. The pilot was recovered from about 25 kilometre North East of Suratgarh base.
The aircraft wreckage fell on a house in Bahlol Nagar in Hanumangarh district, unfortunately, leading to the loss of three lives. The IAF regretted the loss of lives and offered its deepest condolences to the bereaved families. A Court of Inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident.
Recounting the incident, a local said he heard a loud sound and saw a parachute coming down. Within seconds, a plane crashed into the house of Ratti Ram, killing his wife and two other women — Leela Devi and Banto Kaur — the news agency PTI quoted him as saying. “The villagers tried to douse the flames with the help of water and sand before the police and fire brigade reached the spot,” an official said.
Police said a rescue operation has been launched in the area where the aircraft had crashed.
“The pilot made all efforts to avert human casualties and crash-landed the plane on the outskirts of the village,” said Om Prakash, Inspector General of Police, Bikaner.
The IAF has planned to phase out all remaining squadrons of MiG-21s by 2025. Last year in September, the No. 51 squadron (a squadron has 18 to 20 jets) based in Srinagar was number plated, which in IAF parlance means that the squadron was retired from service.
The squadron became a household name when one of its pilots wing Commander (now Group Captain) Abhinandan Varthaman, who was awarded Vir Chakra, shot down a Pakistani F-16 during a dogfight over the Line of Control (LoC) on February 27, 2019.
The aerial battle took place a day after IAF bombed a terror facility in Pakistan’s Balakot. Three remaining squadrons will follow suit over the next three years.
The Russian made MiG-21s were inducted into the IAF in 1963 and till now nearly 400 mishaps have taken place involving this aircraft. Around 200 pilots have been killed in these crashes.
In fact, the planes acquired the dubious nickname of “Flying Coffin” due to its alarming safety record. The IAF has over the years been phasing out MiG-21 which at one point of time numbered 874 and formed the mainstay of the country’s air defence.
The planes were upgraded from time to time to ensure operational readiness and fill the gap arising out of delays in procurement of the latest jets.
The phase out plan in the last some years has seen the front-line SU-30s replacing the MiG-21s. With the induction of nearly 100 indigenously designed and manufactured Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA), the IAF will ensure full readiness in the next few years.
On the accident record of the MiG, sources said more of these jets were involved in accidents as compared to other fighter jets as they form the bulk of the IAF fighter fleet. Incidentally, Russia and erstwhile Soviet Union stopped flying the MiG-21s besides Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Faced with depleting fighter jet squadron fleet strength, the IAF now plans to manufacture multi-role aircraft within the country with foreign collaboration. At least 114 jets are planned to be manufactured here under the strategic partnership policy. The proposed cost of the deal is more than 15 billion dollars.
The US, Russia, France and Sweden are likely to pitch for the deal with their F-16 and F-18, MiG-25, Rafales and Gripen jets respectively.
