Saturday,
April 5, 2003, Chandigarh, India
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Four die as MiG-23 crashes into houses
Pilot bails out; IAF orders inquiry
Tribune News ServiceMullanpur Dakha, April 4
 Four persons were killed and three others seriously injured when a MiG-23 fighter plane of the IAF crashed in a residential colony in a thickly populated area of the town, about 25 km from Ludhiana, this morning. The crash occurred at 10:10 a.m. when Flt -Lt B.S. Gill, the pilot, was on a routine training sortie. He had taken off from Halwara Air Force Station. He ejected safely over Gujjarwal village, about 15 km from the crash site. The pilot was rescued by villagers who first took him to a hospital at Sarabha village and then to Halwara Air Force Station. He is said to have suffered serious injuries. The pilot belongs to Moonak township, near Patran, in Sangrur district. While Air Force authorities kept mum on the cause of the crash, the pilot told some villagers near Gujjarwal village that a serious technical snag developed suddenly in the engine and he could not even contact the Air Traffic Controller. He also told the villagers that he bailed out after ensuring that the plane did not fall on Gujjarwal village. The pilot was unaware that the crash had led to casualties. Mr Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi of Shahpur village and Manjit Singh Soni spotted the pilot bailing out and rushed to his help. Such was the impact of the crash that four houses were severely damaged as the plane ploughed into the house in the Bank Colony. The family of a 70-year-old merchant, Deewan Chand, was the worst hit. His middle-aged son, Raju, daughter-in-law Pammi and 14-year-old Sunny, a nephew of Pammi, were killed. Sunny was a resident of Chowni Mohalla, Ludhiana, and had come here to visit his relatives. Deewan Chand's wife, Bimla, was one of the three persons injured. She was admitted in a serious condition to the DMC hospital. She suffered over 90 per cent burns. Gurpreet Singh, son of Purshottam Singh, a tractor mechanic, was also killed. The mechanic's wife, Kuldeep Kaur, and daughter Manjinder Kaur suffered more than 70 per cent burns. They are under treatment at the DMC hospital. The house of the
mechanic bore the brunt of the crash and suffered extensive damage. Two families were living as tenants in the house, including the family of Deewan Chand. Members of the other tenant family escaped with only minor injuries. The death toll could have been higher had the plane crashed into a petrol station adjacent the crash site. An eyewitness, Chamkaur Singh, said he saw the plane in flames from a distance. The plane hit the top of eucalyptus trees and crashed into the houses. Panic gripped Dakha market as people ran helter- skelter after seeing the plane in flames. Thousands of people from the town and adjoining places swarmed the crash site. The crisis management system of the district administration, Air Force, police and the Army was put to the test. Talking to TNS, the house owner said the victims were eating food in their room when the plane crashed into the roof. He said the entire house was engulfed in flames in a flash. The initial reaction was that a gas cylinder had burst, but then several people came to their house saying that a plane had crashed. The pilot was reported missing by the Air Force authorities for over an hour after the incident. They were unaware of his whereabouts and had even sent a helicopter for his search. The pilot was rescued by residents of Gujjarwal and Shahpur villages. Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi of Shahpur said he was in his house in the village when he heard a loud explosion. He looked skywards and saw the pilot’s parachute open and the burning plane crashing towards Dakha. The pilot remained dazed for about half an hour after he landed. He contacted the Halwara Air Force Station authorities on the cellphone of Sukhwinder. The black box of the plane and the cockpit could be recovered by 4 p.m. only. The wreckage of the plane was spread almost in the entire township. Windowpanes of at least 10 houses in the vicinity of the crash were also damaged. Wg-Cdr D. Punni of the Halwara Air Force Station, Brig Sunil Dhawan, IG S.K. Sharma, DIG Mohammad Mustafa and Jagraon SSP Mukhwinder Singh Chhina were among the first to reach the crash site and supervise the rescue operations. The rescue operation was ultimately handed over to Brigadier Dhawan. A 150-men squad of the Army was put on the job. The Army men removed the debris with the help of cranes and JCB machines. It was hard going since they had to remove the debris brick by brick to reach the cockpit of the plane that was buried deep in the ground.
CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday expressed profound shock and grief over the crashing of a MiG-23 plane in Mullanpur Dakha of Ludhiana district in a residential area in which four persons were killed. He has directed the district administration and the police to provide timely medical aid to the injured. The Chief Minister also sent his heartfelt sympathies to the members of the bereaved families.
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