Indian Navy's MiG 29K crashes in Goa, develops technical malfunction while returning to base, pilot ejects safely; Board of Inquiry starts investigation into the cause of the incident.
A MiG 29K that was on a regular mission over the water near Goa experienced a technical problem as it was returning to base and crashed into the water.
The pilot safely evacuated, and a quick search and rescue operation resulted in his recovery. A Board of Inquiry (BoI) has been appointed to look into the incident's origins.
The pilot is stable and has recovered. The Indian Navy said that the pilot successfully ejected from the twin-engine MiG-29K before it fell into the water while returning to base. He was quickly found and is believed to be in stable health.
The Navy said that a Board of Inquiry (BoI) has been appointed to look into the incident's origins.
With this disaster, the Navy now has 40 of the 45 supersonic MiG-29Ks that were imported from Russia between 2009 and 2010 for a total of $2 billion to fly from the deck of the $2.33 billion INS Vikramaditya, a 44,500-ton aircraft carrier.
Four MiG-29K fighters have crashed in the last four years, raising concerns about their operational viability.
Following the September 2 commissioning of the 45,000-tonne INS Vikrant, the nation's first indigenous aircraft carrier, the Navy is currently actively looking for an extra 26 carrier-based fighters.