Two #IAF pilots were killed in a #MiG21 trainer aircraft crash in the Barmer district of #Rajasthan on Thursday night.
IAF said, “A twin seater Mig-21 trainer aircraft of the IAF was airborne for a training sortie from Utarlai air base in Rajasthan this evening. Around 9:10 pm, the aircraft met with an accident near Barmer. Both pilots sustained fatal injuries. IAF deeply regrets the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families,” the IAF said in a statement.
A court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident, the IAF added. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh condoled the loss of lives in the mishap. “Deeply anguished by the loss of two Air Warriors due to an accident of IAF’s Mig-21 trainer aircraft near Barmer in Rajasthan. Their service to the nation will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of sadness,” Defence Minister said. According to sources, the wreckage of the aircraft was strewed across a 500-meter area.
Extremely shocking & tragic Visuals of Indian Air Force Aircraft that crashed in Rajasthan a while back, claiming lives of both pilots Flying the MiG-21 😞. Praying for the souls of our brave hearts🙏🏻🇮🇳 Rest In Peace#mig21 #RestInPeace #IndianAirForce #pilots pic.twitter.com/QhNvfWyq8G
— Jyot Jeet (@activistjyot) July 28, 2022
One of the local sources of information indicated that the fighter jet was on a night training sortie.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also expressed grief over the loss of lives. “Deeply saddened to know two IAF pilots have lost their lives in the line of duty when an IAF MiG 21 trainer aircraft met with an accident in Barmer. My heartfelt condolences to bereaved families. May they remain strong to bear this loss. We stand with them and share their grief,” Gehlot said.
The bodies of both pilots were severely damaged, say eyewitnesses, and visuals from the site showed flames arising out of a crashed aircraft. The wreckage of the aircraft was spread over a radius of 0.5 km. According to eyewitnesses, the bodies of one of the pilots was completely charred, while that of the other one was severely damaged. Some of the villagers even shared disturbing visuals of the ill-fated fighter jet on social media.
India has lost 42 personnel in 45 air crashes involving the three Services- Army, Air Force, and Navy- in the last five years, the government informed Rajya Sabha in March this year. The Indian Air Force lost 34 personnel in 29 accidents, the Indian Army lost 7 personnel in 12 accidents and the Indian Navy lost 1 personnel in 4 accidents involving either an aircraft or chopper, the data provided by Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt read.
The Soviet-origin plane has crashed and killed hundreds of pilots over the decades. Since 1963, 872 MiG-21s have been inducted by the IAF. In the past 51 years, over 400 MiG-21s have crashed and killed more than 200 pilots and almost 50 civilians on the ground.