The two pilots of the ill-fated Mig-21 trainer aircraft, which crashed in Barmer on Thursday night, displayed exemplary presence of mind by steering the plane away from a village by two to three kms before it crashed into a sand dune, according to reports.
The two pilots were identified as Wing Commander M Rana and Flight Lieutenant Advitiya Bal, the IAF said on Friday. Rana hailed from Himachal Pradesh and Bal from Jammu. The two pilots were killed when their twin-seater MiG-21 aircraft crashed during a training sortie.
Reports suggest the two pilots saved scores of civilians of Bhimda village by diverting the aircraft from the populated area. They could have ejected from the plane and it would have crashed into the village with a population of more than 2,500. However, they showed exemplary courage and presence of mind and diverted the plane away from the village, reports said.
The IAF said the aircraft was on a sortie from the Utarlai air base and the accident occurred around 9.10 pm. The IAF has ordered a court of enquiry to ascertain the cause of the mishap. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to IAF chief V R Chaudhari and enquired about the MiG-21 crash.
He expressed condolences for the two Air Warriors who lost their lives in the accident. In a tweet message, Rajnath said he was "deeply anguished by the loss of two Air Warriors." Their service to the nation will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of sadness."
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said "Deeply saddened to know two IAF pilots have lost their lives in the line of duty when an IAF MiG 21 trainer aircraft met with an accident in Barmer.
My heartfelt condolences to bereaved families. May they remain strong to bear this loss. We stand with them and share their grief." “Very sad news! Mother India lost two of her brave soldiers. May god give peace to their souls and strength to the bereaved families in this time of grief," Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi. Union Minister Piyush Goyal and the Congress party also tweeted their condolences to the families of the deceased.
Expressing shock over the mishap, BJP MP Varun Gandhi called the plane a “flying coffin” and asked when will the frequent crashing aircraft be removed from our fleet.
"The whole country is shocked and saddened by the incident in Barmer yesterday. For a few years now, the MiG-21 has been involved in frequent accidents. The aircraft alone has claimed the lives of about 200 pilots," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.
"When will this 'flying coffin' be removed from our fleet? Parliament of the country has to think, will we allow our children to fly this plane?" he said.