Pilot in latest MiG crash downed Pak’s Atlantique

Bundela, with over 1,200 hours of flying on MiG-21, was awarded the Vayusena Medal for gallantry after shooting down the Atlantique.

A court of inquiry will determine the cause of the accident.

‘‘He did the right thing by ejecting. Pilots till the end think they will be able to salvage the situation and save the aircraft. In the end it becomes too late to even save themselves. Therefore, we advice the pilots to realise the gravity of the situation in time and eject. The life of a pilot is more valuable than the aircraft’’ a senior official at air headquarters told The Indian Express.

According to the air force, 44 per cent of all air crashes are due to ‘‘technical defect.’’ These are either due to the manufacturing or overhauling defects at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) or even due to design inadequacies. The 29th Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on aircraft accidents in the IAF says that ‘‘quality, maintenance and operational lapses had also contributed for few accidents.’’

The IAF feels that the air accidents can be brought down further by the use of ‘‘synthetic training aid,’’ which includes simulators.

For, at present, the pilots take off and carry out exercises in real time and in near-real situations in air.

The IAF has five simulators for the MiG-21 aircraft. These were procured for Rs 12.90 crore in the 1970s and have been lying unserviceable. Only one simulator has been upgraded since.

However, the IAF did not have a simulator for the MiG-21 Bis variant which is the mainstream of the IAF, according to the PAC.