An Indian Air Force’s Fighter Aircraft MiG-29 crashed in Punjab. “IAF Fighter MiG-29 crashed today (8th May 2020) near the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab. The crash took place around 10.30 am. The MiG-29 pilot ejected after the plane developed a technical snag and failed to respond. The pilot is safe. The pilot has been identified as Wing Commander MK Pandey.” IAF officials said.
The exact cause of the accident is yet unknown. The IAF, however, said that the fighter jet developed a technical snag which resulted in the mishap.
“The jet, which had taken off from Adampur Air Force Station near Jalandhar, was on a training mission. The aircraft had developed a technical snag and the pilot ejected safely as he was unable to control the aircraft. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered,” the IAF said in a statement.
It may be recalled that the IAF has lost several MiG 21 trainers and MiG 29 fighter jets in crashes due to technical snag in recent years.
The MiG-29 is a Soviet-era fighter jet of the IAF that played a key role in the Kargil conflict of 1999. Visuals from the site showed flames emerging from the spot of the accident.
The upgraded MiG-29 aircraft have been allotted to a frontline squadron, and are being used for operations. “The upgraded aircraft are equipped with state of the art avionics, an array of smart air to air and air to ground weapons and are capable of in-flight refueling which significantly increases its combat potential,” the Ministry of Defence had said in December.
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