Debris of the MIG-21 in Kangra on Wednesday.
A MIG-21 aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed near village Patta Jatian in Jawali area of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday afternoon, killing the lone pilot.
The pilot, identified as Squadron Leader Meet Kumar, had got airborne from Pathankot air base, said Kangra Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kumar, who visited the crash site along with the Superintendent of Police.
The crash occurred between around 1.10 pm. Some local residents, who saw the plane in flames falling down, informed the police immediately.
Sandeep Kumar said the pilot apparently tried to save the populated areas after the jet caught fire while it was airborne. He chose nearby fields for a nose dive and thus could not eject.
“We have not found the pilot’s body so far, but there have been some pieces of flesh spotted by locals and police, which were being collected,” he said.
IAF MiG-21 fighter jet crashes in Kangra: Villagers gather around the crash site.
As per available information, the aircraft took off from Pathankot air base in Punjab, which is not far from Kangra, around 12.10 pm. Around 12.20 pm, it lost contact with the base station.
Hem Singh, an eyewitness whose house was barely 200 meters from the crash site, said “We heard a deafening sound. Everyone rushed towards the agriculture fields where we saw thick smoke and flames.”
As per available information, the aircraft took off from Pathankot air base in Punjab, which is not far from Kangra, around 12.10 pm. Around 12.20 pm, it lost contact with the base station.
Another villager, who claimed to be working in the fields and was about take a lunch break, said, “The plane was in flames when I saw it. Thereafter, it took no time to explode. We rushed towards the site hoping to see the pilot safe, but everything was burning on the ground.”
Later, two IAF helicopters arrived with officials who asked the police to cordon off the area.
A court of inquiry has been ordered to probe the crash.