Search team's daring mission to locate Indian Air Force MiG-29

New Delhi: After extensive search operations for nine days, the Indian Air Force today finally located the wreckage of a MiG-29 aircraft which crashed in Lahaul Spiti in Himachal Pradesh on October 18.

The entire debris was covered under snow at the Thirot village in Lahaul - about 15,000 feet above sea level.

The crash site was located by conducting aerial search and by the help of images received from Remotely Piloted Aircraft and other aircraft which conducted the photo reconnaissance of the area, said the Air Force. Subsequently, the sarpanch of the Thirot village brought back some components from the wreckage with the help of locals.

With the area covered under fresh snow, helicopters could not confirm the exact crash site. The ground search party was then divided into groups to cover the slopes on either side of the ridge where images had indicated presence of the wreckage.

Eight expert mountaineers, including three from the Army, were dropped from a helicopter on a ledge, 200 metres above the suspected crash site, which is about 5,000 feet above the valley base along the Chokhang village. The mountaineers spent the night on the ledge with just basic survival gear.

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"It is unthinkable of anyone to agree to be perched on top of the ledge at 15,000 feet and stay overnight without even a base camp set up for their support," said Task Force Commander Group Captain P K Sharma, praising the work of Wing Commander S K Kutty and Squadron Leader N Rawat who headed the search teams.

The Indian Air Force had, till Tuesday, flown 149 sorties towards the search and rescue efforts, but failed in locating the crashed plane due to the remote, high altitude, snow clad mountainous region.

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