A major tragedy was averted when a MiG-29K fighter jet, which was reportedly hit by birds, came crashing down on the Verna plateau. Fortunately, and mainly because of the quick presence of mind of the two pilots on board, the aircraft was steered towards the hilly terrain of Verna where it finally exploded. Panic and tension gripped the air as smoke billowed from the wreckage.
Goa should consider itself lucky because the crash narrowly missed the Verna industrial estate and the densely-populated Nuvem-Verna-Loutolim range. The debris made landfall over a radius of 500 metres with dry grass catching fire over the plateau and a couple of houses suffered partial damage.
Goa’s tryst with MiGs is fraught with risks and this is the third occasion in recent times that there have been near-disasters. In January 2018 a MiG29 skidded off the runway during take-off and caught fire while on a routine training sortie. The pilot had a lucky escape. On June 8 this year, another MiG-29 aircraft drop-tank detached during take-off and exploded resulting in minor damages to the lone runway.
This time around, preliminary reports indicate that the crash was due to a bird-hit. However, reports of birds bringing down a fighter plane instead of the enemy appears unconvincing in an era where India is flying high on its defence capabilities.
This crash goes to suggest that the Navy is still using the outdated versions of the MiGs over Goa. Such risks cannot be taken in a tiny State like Goa since there are major oil storage units in close vicinity, thickly populated habitations all around besides several industrial estates. The Navy must have at its disposal upgraded versions of aircraft, ones which are used for routine operations in frontline squadrons, more importantly, equipped with state-of-the-art avionics.
The Navy has raised concerns recently when it sought to regulate construction in the neighbourhood of Dabolim airport. They warned that there are a few constructions in the vicinity which are extremely detrimental to safe flying as well as security of the airbase.” But what happens in situations when civilian lives come under threat?
While there is a probe being launched into the air disaster the Navy remains guarded in its feedback, and the people of Goa remain clueless. At the outset, the defence ministry needs to look into these ‘defenceless’ fighter aircraft which have not only posed risk to the lives of pilots, but to the people and property as well.
The MiG crash will go down as heroic on a couple of counts. The courage and quick presence of mind of the pilots in steering the aircraft till the final stages need to be commended. And while the pilots displayed their valour, it is the people of Sodovim, a tiny ward in Verna, that emerged true fighters. Despite the deafening explosion in the skies above, locals rushed out of their homes and made their way through the still-burning debris for rescue and help. Much before any medical help arrived on the plateau, people of Sodovim took care of the two pilots in distress and administered first aid. The hospitality offered by the Sodovim locals at such an hour bears testimony of ‘Goanness’ that the people of the State stand for.
