Pilot dies as MiG-21 crashes in Punjab's Moga

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, May 21

An Indian Air Force MiG-21 Bison fighter aircraft crashed in a field near Langeana Kalan village, 24 km from Moga district headquarters, around 11.30 pm on Thursday, killing pilot Sqn Ldr Abhinav Choudhary. 

The aircraft was on a routine training sortie when the mishap took place. The pilot was returning to Suratgarh in Rajasthan after the training sorties near Jagraon in Ludhiana, said Gurdeep Singh, SP (H), Moga.

The police got information about the incident around 11.30 pm when it was raining in the area. The police immediately rushed to the spot and started the search for the pilot. The body of the pilot was found at a distance of about 2 km from the MiG-21 crash spot, said the SP.

By the morning, senior officers of the Air Force from Halwara and Bathinda along with medical teams reached the spot. There was no other loss to property or human lives in the area when the aircraft crashed, said the SP.

A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the crash, sources said.