An Indian Navy MiG-29K trainer jet operating from the INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier suffered an accident in the Arabian Sea on Thursday night, Indian Navy officials said. “One pilot recovered and the search for air and surface units is underway for the second pilot. An investigation was ordered to investigate the incident, ”said a statement from the Indian Navy.
This is the fourth accident in recent times involving MiG-29K aircraft. In February this year, a MiG29K aircraft that was on routine training runs crashed in Goa. However, the pilot was able to eject in time.
In November last year, a two-seater MiG29K crashed due to a bird strike after taking off from the Goa Naval Air Base. However, both pilots had been safely ejected.
In January 2018, a MiG-29K crashed when it deviated from control at the INS Hansa base in Goa; the pilot escaped unharmed.
INS Vikramaditya had just completed phase 2 of the Malabar exercises involving the navies of the United States, Japan and Australia in the northern Arabian Sea. The exercises focused on the Vikramaditya Carrier Battle Group of the Indian Navy and the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group of the United States Navy. The two carriers, along with other ships, submarines and aircraft from the participating navies, had conducted high-intensity naval operations for four days beginning on November 17. These exercises had included inter-deck flight operations and advanced air defense exercises by INS Vikramaditya’s MIG 29K fighters and Nimitz’s F-18 and E2C Hawkeye fighters.
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