By News Agency of Kashmir
Jammu: Two pilots of Indian Air Force were feared killed when their MIG-21 crashed somewhere in Udhampur area of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday morning.
Well informed sources said that the pilots of the MIG-21, which was on a routine training sortie from Pathankote airbase, is feared to have been crashed at around 10:30 AM local time. He said there was no information on the status of the pilots.
Sources told News Agency of Kashmir that the MIG took off from Pathankote Airbase, in Punjab, at around 10:30 AM on a routine training sortie. The aircraft was flying towards Basantgarh area of Udhampur district when the pilot made last contact with the control tower at around 11:30 AM, sources added.
“The attempts to contact the pilots of the aircrafts have failed since morning and it has been feared that the MIG has crashed somewhere in Udhampur district”, sources told NAK, preferring anonymity.
Information gathered so far indicates that both pilots may not have survived, they added. There was no damage to property or civilian casualty on the ground.
This was the second crash of an IAF jet this year. The IAF has lost as many as 170 pilots in 321 MiG crashes in the country in the last few years.
The Defence Ministry had constituted an experts committee to recommend measures to check the increasing number of MiG-21 crashes in the year 2005.