Another MiG goes down, pilot killed

In the second such accident this year, a MiG-21 fighter crashed this afternoon at Bikaner, killing its pilot and injuring six civilian contractors on the ground.

The MiG-21 Type 75 aircraft, the same type as the one that crashed on January 3, veered off the runway at 12:37 pm after landing and exploded, killing the pilot, Flying Officer T. Chavan.

The injured contractors were rushed to Bikaner8217;s PBM hospital by Nal air base personnel and they are said to be out of danger. An IAF spokesperson said those injured would be 8216;8216;suitable compensated8217;8217;.

Notorious for their poor safety record, a fleet comprising over 300 MiG-21s will be retired in the next four-five years, along with the MiG-23BN fighters. The IAF has, however, thrown its weight behind the MiG-21 Bis-upgrade.