New Delhi: A MiG-21 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force crashed in Rajasthan on Thursday night, leaving two pilots – Wing Commander M. Rana and Flight Lieutenant Anikash Bal. He lost his life. An Air Force official on Friday released the names of both the pilots to the media and told that Wing Commander Rana was a resident of Himachal Pradesh while Flight Lieutenant Bal was a resident of Jammu.
According to the IAF, the two-seater MiG-21 aircraft was on a training flight and crashed near Barmer at around 9:10 pm. The Air Headquarters has already ordered a ‘Court of Inquiry’ to ascertain the cause of the accident. MiG-21 aircraft have been the mainstay of the Indian Air Force for a long time.
However, the aircraft’s safety record has been poor in recent times. Minister of State for Defense Ajay Bhat had said in the Rajya Sabha in March that 42 defense personnel had died in aircraft and helicopter crashes of the three services in the last five years.
