The exact reason behind the crash is not yet known, but the trainee Pilot had managed to escape unhurt from the incident. The Fighter plane caught fire soon after crashing after the overshooting on Runway at Dabolim Naval Airport, in south Goa.
According to the reports, the MIG-29K is one of the most sophisticated fighter planes in the Navy Fleet, and the incident of the crash has caused the Indian Navy to lose on them. The reports claimed that Trainee Pilot was on the plane at the time of the incident. The exact cause of the accident is not yet known but the sources, claims it was due to the Overshooting on the Runway.
All the civilian flights coming to the Goa airport had been delayed due to this incident, the Goa airport actually belongs to Indian Navy, and has been leased out to the Civilian flights. Although the operations had been resumed after a short break, the firefighting was still in progress. A statement from the Defence Ministry spokesperson said the incident occurred when the fighter jet, manned by a trainee pilot, veered off the runway this afternoon.
According to the sources, This is the first MiG-29 to be lost by the navy which operates the jet off the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.The fighter jet will also be deployed off the INS Vikrant, the first indigenous aircraft carrier being built for the Navy.
In a statement, the Navy said in New Delhi that a Board of Inquiry (BoI) had been ordered to investigate the cause of the accident. “An Indian Navy MiG 29K aircraft operating from Naval Air Station at Goa was involved in an accident today. The pilot aborted take-off during a training sortie,” said the Real Admiral Punit K Bahl, Flag Officer Commanding Goa Area (FOGA) adding that “When the pilot was taking off, there was some malfunction in the aircraft which we will have to investigate,” Real Admiral Punit K Bahl, Flag Officer Commanding Goa Area (FOGA), told PTI.
According to Mr. Bahl “This is the first main incident of the MiG 29K since the time it was inducted,” Bahl said adding that “It is too premature to say whether this was human or machine error, because we have to investigate, which will take some time,” he added.
The Russian-made MiG 29K was inducted into the forces on May 11, 2016, after the decommissioning of the Sea Harriers. The aircraft is currently integrated onboard aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and performs the role of strike fighter and air defense for the Navy. Eyewitnesses said the aircraft veered off the runway before it could take off.
SOURCES: NDTV | ECONOMIC TIMES
