IAF pilot dies as MIG-21 crashes

CHANDIGARH: An Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot died after his MIG-21 fighter jet crashed at Langeana in Punjab’s Moga district late on Thursday. The jet was on its way back to Suratgarh after routine training sortie.

Police said the jet crashed around 9.30 pm and it took over three hours to locate Squadron Leader Abhinav Choudhary’s body. “There is a training facility for fighter jet pilots at a village near Jagraon town in Ludhiana district. Choudhary had come there for training from Suratgarh and was going back when the jet crashed,” said Moga police superintendent Gurdeep Singh. “We received information [about the crash] around 11.30 pm and immediately reached the spot and started search operation for the pilot. We eventually found his body around 3 am on Friday. It seems that he jumped with a parachute and broke his neck while landing.”

Singh said IAF officials, who were part of the search operation, took the pilot’s body to Halwara Air Force station for a postmortem.

In a tweet, the IAF said: “There was an aircraft accident last night involving a Bison aircraft of IAF in the western sector. The pilot, Sqn Ldr Abhinav Choudhary, sustained fatal injuries...iaf condoles the tragic loss and stands firmly with the bereaved family.” It added a Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.