Chennai: One pilot was recovered while another one had gone missing after a MiG-29K trainer aircraft of the Indian Navy crashed into the Arabian Sea on Thursday. Search operations for the missing pilot are currently underway.
According to reports, the ill-fated MiG-29K was operating off the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. The accident, reportedly, occurred around 5pm on Thursday. One of the two pilots on board was rescued while the other is still unaccounted for.
The Indian Navy has initiated an inquiry into the incident. An inquiry has been ordered to investigate the incident, Navy officials said and added that more details about the crash are awaited.
The officials confirmed that the jet had taken off for a sortie from India’s only aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. MiG-29K – the Russian-origin fighter planes – operate from the deck of INS Vikramaditya, which had taken part in the recent Malabar naval drills involving the Quad navies of US, Australia, India and Japan.