VASCO: A trainee pilot ejected to safety after a MiG 29K aircraft of the Indian Navy went off the runway and crashed during take off at the INS Hansa base in Dabolim airport before catching fire on Wednesday afternoon.
The incident forced airport authorities to shut operations for all civilian flights at the Dabolim International Airport, while emergency services were at the site.
According to a Navy PRO statement, the incident took place at about 12.10 pm, when the MiG 29K aircraft was taking off for a routine sortie at Indian Naval Air Station, Hansa.
"The plane developed a technical snag and went off the runway. The pilot came out of the aircraft safely and was immediately shifted to the Naval Hospital for routine medical management," stated the Navy PRO.
In a tweet, a Defence Ministry spokesperson said, "A MiG 29K aircraft with an under-trainee pilot goes off runway while taking off at Goa airport. Pilot ejects to safety."
The plane caught fire a short while later and several fire tenders from Vasco rushed to the scene to extinguish the fire.
Fire tenders from companies like Goa Shipyard were also pressed into service to tackle the emergency situation.
While the MiG 29K was not engulfed in flames, the aircraft had sustained considerable damage in the crash.
According to the Navy PRO, civil flight operations were affected for about 30 minutes, before normal runway operations were resumed. The Navy has convened an inquiry into the incident.
When contacted, Captain Prashant Mathur of the Indian Navy PRO confirmed to The Goan that the flight which has veered off the runway was a MiG 29K, but clarified that it was an accident and not a crash.
"The aircraft was on a take off mode, but could not as it developed some technical snag and steered off the runway," Capt Mathur told The Goan.
Asked to comment about some media reports that the MiG 29K was stationed on the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, Capt Mathur denied the report and confirmed that the aircraft was stationed in the naval station at INS Hansa.
To another query on the impact of the loss of aircraft to the Navy, Capt Mathur replied: "We have a large and sufficient quantity of fighter planes, but yes, we are down by one MiG 29k as of now. We have to try and see if it can be repaired, but yes, we can say that one MiG is presently out of operation," Mathur added.
The incident forced airport authorities to shut operations for all civilian flights at the Dabolim International Airport, while emergency services were at the site.
According to a Navy PRO statement, the incident took place at about 12.10 pm, when the MiG 29K aircraft was taking off for a routine sortie at Indian Naval Air Station, Hansa.
"The plane developed a technical snag and went off the runway. The pilot came out of the aircraft safely and was immediately shifted to the Naval Hospital for routine medical management," stated the Navy PRO.
In a tweet, a Defence Ministry spokesperson said, "A MiG 29K aircraft with an under-trainee pilot goes off runway while taking off at Goa airport. Pilot ejects to safety."
The plane caught fire a short while later and several fire tenders from Vasco rushed to the scene to extinguish the fire.
Fire tenders from companies like Goa Shipyard were also pressed into service to tackle the emergency situation.
While the MiG 29K was not engulfed in flames, the aircraft had sustained considerable damage in the crash.
According to the Navy PRO, civil flight operations were affected for about 30 minutes, before normal runway operations were resumed. The Navy has convened an inquiry into the incident.
When contacted, Captain Prashant Mathur of the Indian Navy PRO confirmed to The Goan that the flight which has veered off the runway was a MiG 29K, but clarified that it was an accident and not a crash.
"The aircraft was on a take off mode, but could not as it developed some technical snag and steered off the runway," Capt Mathur told The Goan.
Asked to comment about some media reports that the MiG 29K was stationed on the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, Capt Mathur denied the report and confirmed that the aircraft was stationed in the naval station at INS Hansa.
To another query on the impact of the loss of aircraft to the Navy, Capt Mathur replied: "We have a large and sufficient quantity of fighter planes, but yes, we are down by one MiG 29k as of now. We have to try and see if it can be repaired, but yes, we can say that one MiG is presently out of operation," Mathur added.
