MiG crashes after Chabua take-off

Dibrugarh: A MiG-21 today crashed in a field in Dibrugarh district of Upper Assam this afternoon, minutes after take-off from Chabua air base. The lone pilot bailed out using a parachute.
A ball of fire engulfed the fighter plane soon after it crashed at Koilabari village around 1.20pm, five minutes after it took off from the air force base.
“The possibility of a technical snag is being investigated and can be confirmed once the probe is over,” an official of the Indian Air Force said.
Bhaskar Jyoti Baruah, who was ploughing his fields on a tractor, saw the plane crash and the pilot paratrooping out.
“There was a huge explosion and then I saw fire; two parachutes landed but it was not immediately figured out whether there were two persons,” Baruah said.
The IAF official later clarified that there was only one pilot who had to use his second emergency parachute as the first one did not function properly.
“Two parachutes spawned confusion; actually there was only one pilot who is now absolutely fine. All medical check-ups have been carried out following the regulations,” the official said.
18/06/09 The Telegraph

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Safety Jun 2009