Hisar pilot killed as 2 aircraft collide ahead of aero show
BENGALURU: Tragedy struck in the run up to Asia’s biggest air show on Tuesday when an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot was killed after two British-origin Hawk advanced jet trainers collided over the Yelahanka skies and crashed while practising advanced aerobatic maneuvers to be performed during the fiveday Aero India 2019 starting on Wednesday.
Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi, who was in his 30s and hailed from Haryana’s Hisar, was unable to eject from the aircraft.
Two other pilots injured in the incident were identified as Wing Commander VT Shelke and Squadron Leader TJ Singh.
They are part of IAF’s renowned Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT), which consists of India’s finest fighter pilots trained to perform complex stunts. One of the jets had two pilots in it — Shelke and Singh — while the inverted aircraft was being flown by a single pilot, Gandhi, the IAF said in a statement.
Gandhi is survived by his wife and a six-year-old son.
The injured pilots, who managed to eject and parachuted to the ground at around 11.50 am, suffered minor injuries, according to the IAF statement.
The jets were in a mirror manoeuvre — one flying inverted above the other — seconds before the collision, two journalists who witnessed the crash said.
HISAR: The parents of Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi, who was killed in Tuesday’s mid-air crash between two Indian Air Force jets in Bengaluru, had no clue about the accident until a neighbour broke the news to them at their home in Hisar, Haryana.
Minutes later, Madan Mohan Gandhi, a retired banker, and his wife Sudesh were in shock as they watched the footage of the collision on TV news channels. By evening, a pall of gloom descended on the Police Line Area of Hisar where the family lives.
Two Hawk advanced jet trainers of the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team crashed into each other near the Yelahanka airbase in Bengaluru while practising for Aero India show that begins Wednesday. While two IAF pilots managed to eject from the aircraft and were said to be safe, Wing Commander Gandhi was killed.
The IAF officer is survived by his wife Himani, and a five-yearold son, Rayan.
Just a day before his death, Sahil had asked his parents to watch his air show on Wednesday. Ashok Juneja, a family friend, said, “Sahil’s wife Himani is an engineer and is working on a project in the United States. She will be joining the family in Hisar soon.” Juneja said that the family learnt about Sahil’s death at 3.30 pm. “We came to know that during a practice session for the Surya Kiran formation, there was a mid-air collision between two jets. He used to do similar shows at Hindon in Ghaziabad,” said Dr M S Yadav, a neighbour.
Sahil Gandhi graduated from the National Defence Academy in 2000 after completing his Class XII from a Hisar school. His elder brother, Nitin Gandhi, is working on a project in Sweden. He is headed to Hisar for his brother’s rites. The body will be brought to Hisar on Wednesday.
Madan Mohan Gandhi retired from State Bank of India and Sudesh was head of the department of home science at Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar.