By IANS
New Delhi : In the third such accident this year, an Indian Navy Sea Harrier crashed at Dabolim in Goa Monday but the pilot ejected to safety, an official said.
The crash occurred at around 11.15 a.m., an Indian Navy spokesperson said here.
“The aircraft was on a routine sortie flown by Cdr. Janak Bevli, who ejected safely,” he added.
“There has been no loss of life or (other) property in the accident,” the spokesperson said, adding that a Board of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of the crash.
“There was no disruption of commercial flights as 75 percent of the runway was available even after the crash. The airport was made fully operational by 1 p.m.,” he added.
The Indian Navy operates the Dabolim airport, which is also used by a number of domestic and international airlines.
The aircraft crashed while attempting a vertical landing, another official said.
“There was a sudden loss of power and the jet dropped onto the runway like a stone. The pilot displayed quick thinking in ejecting even though the aircraft was at a low height,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Nothing can be said on record till the report of the court of inquiry is received,” he explained.
The accident brings to 18 the number of Sea Harriers the Indian Navy has lost since the British-built jump jet was inducted a quarter of a century ago. Some 15 aircraft are now left in the fleet but not all of them are believed to be operational.
Seven Indian Navy pilots have lost their lives in Sea Harrier crashes between 1988 and 2007.
In April, a Sea Harrier went into the sea while attempting to land on the aircraft carrier INS Viraat in the Arabian Sea. This was a two-seat trainer version and one of the pilots ejected to safety while the other drowned. His body was recovered after a long time.
In September, another Sea Harrier went into the sea while attempting to land on the Viraat on the concluding day of the five-nation Malabar war games, the largest to be conducted so far in the Bay of Bengal. The pilot ejected safely.
Sixteen military aircraft, the bulk of them belonging to the Indian Air Force (IAF) have crashed this year. More than 1,000 military aircraft have crashed since Independence in 1947.