Tribune News ServiceNew Delhi, November 2
Another of the MiG-21 fighter aircrafts of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed near Nal airbase in Bikaner last night following engine failure.
The aircraft was on a routine night sortie when it crashed in sand dunes close to the air base at 9.40 pm, an IAF spokesman said. However, the pilot of the aircraft, Flying Officer S. Mitra, bailed out safely. He said though a preliminary report suggested engine failure as the cause of the accident, a court of inquiry had been ordered to probe the crash. This is the second MiG-21 crash this year and the ninth fighter to go down so far.
The pilot of the MiG-21 aircraft, who ejected safely, informed the police and the IAF authorities about the crash by the phone after which civil and Air Force authorities rushed to the accident site about 9 km from the Nal airbase.
“No loss of life or injury to any persons or damage on the ground has been reported,” an IAF spokesman said here.
