M A I N   N E W S

MiG crashes near Ferozepore; pilot bails out
Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepore, July 7
A MiG-23 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed into the paddy fields near Mianwalai Kalan village on the Zira-Talwandi road, about 50 km from here, today.

According to information, the MiG-23 jet took off from the Halwara Air Force Station at 11 a.m. today on a routine training sortie. Twenty-eight minutes later it crashed into the fields at 11.28 a.m.

The pilot of the ill-fated jet, Flt-Lt Nikhil Gupta, who ejected out safely sustained minor bruises. No other casualties have been reported.

The Air Force officials, who reached the spot in a helicopter from Halwara, whisked away the pilot to a hospital.

According to an eyewitness, the MiG wobbled in the sky at a low altitude before hitting the distributory canal situated near the Zira Cooperative Mill and then cascaded into the fields before coming to a halt, around 250 metres away.

The crashing MiG smashed a tubewell room and ploughed into the electric poles before coming to a standstill. Two tillers working in the fields saw the MiG hit the ground barely 200 metres away.

The MiG did not catch fire but its front portion was totally damaged. Air Force officials from Halwara, Sqn-Ldr Nazir Ahmed and Sqn-Ldr Patkar, who reached the spot immediately after the crash, cordoned off the area with the help of the police and Army jawans.

The Station Flight Safety and Inspection Officer (SFSIO), Sqn-Ldr Ahmed Nazir, told The Tribune that the pilot ejected out safely at a distance of 10 nautical miles from the spot where it crashed into the fields.

An inquiry had been constituted to look into the probable cause of the crash. Senior Air Force officials from New Delhi and Chandigarh also reached the spot to ascertain the reason behind the crash.

The SSP, Ferozepore, Mr Praveen Sinha, who was the first to reach the spot, said besides a temporary tubewell room, a few electricity poles had been destroyed. But no casualties had been reported.

The Electricity Board officials said due to the damage to the electric poles, there might be a black-out in 40 villages for 48 hours.