Goa: A MiG-29K aircraft of the Navy crashed during a routine sortie off the Goa coast today after developing a technical malfunction. The pilot ejected safely and was rescued in a swift search and rescue operation, the Navy clarified in a statement today.
The aircraft had crashed while returning to the base. A Board of Inquiry (BoI) has been ordered to investigate the cause of crash as it is the fourth accident involving the MiG-29 K since 2019. The aircraft is considered as the most sophisticated in the world as it is fitted with the Russian built K-36D-3.5 ejection seat. In the event of ejection handles being pulled, the pilot in the rear seat is ejected first, followed by the pilot in the front.
Earlier in November 2019, a MiG-29K trainer aircraft crashed outside a village in Goa, however, both pilots ejected safely. Later in November 2020, a fighter pilot Commander Nishant Singh died after MiG-29 K crash. His body was recovered 11 days after the crash. Another MiG 29K crashed in the same year in February as it hit birds. Both pilots had steered the jet away from habitation before ejecting, an action that drew praise from Union Minister of State for Defense Shripad Naik.