The aircraft crashed while it was returning to the base. (Representational)
A MiG-29K aircraft of the Navy crashed during a routine sortie off the Goa coast today after developing a technical malfunction. The pilot ejected safely and was rescued in a swift search and rescue operation, the Navy said in a statement.
A board of inquiry (BoI) has been ordered to investigate the cause of the crash. It was the fourth accident involving the MiG-29K since 2019.
The aircraft crashed while it was returning to the base.
The MiG-29K is fitted with the Russian-built K-36D-3.5 ejection seat, widely considered the most sophisticated in the world. In the event of the ejection handles being pulled, the pilot in the rear seat is ejected first, followed by the pilot in the front.
In November 2020, a fighter pilot died after a MiG-29K crash in November 2020. While one of the pilots was rescued soon after the incident, Commander Nishant Singh's body was recovered 11 days after the crash.
Another MiG 29K crashed the same year in February after being hit by birds. Both pilots had steered the jet away from habitation before ejecting, an action which drew praise from Union Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik.
In November 2019, a MiG-29K trainer aircraft crashed outside a village in Goa. Both the pilots had ejected safely.