A MIG 29 aircraft of the Indian airforce has crashed in the remote Lahaul valley of Himachal Pradesh, the pilot is missing police said .
“We got the information about the MIG 29 crash around midnight , we have dispatched a police rescue team to the spot ,†Bimal Gupta, S.P. Lahaul & Spiti told the Hill Post by phone .
“But since the spot is very remote located on a hill top between Keylong and Udaipur our teams have not reached the spot so far ,†said Gupta .
The fighter plane was on its way to Leh from Jalandhar and lost radio control at around 8 : 30 P.M.
The accident site is some 550 km from the state capital of Shimla .
The high mountain cold desert Lahaul valley borders Tibet .
In a 20 year career published widely. He has worked for the BBC, AFP, The Statesman, IANS and the Business Standard . Known for his hard hitting writing and occasional off-beat stories. He lives in Shimla.
LIKE MIG-21, IAF HAS POOR RECORDS OF MIG-29 MAINTENANCE SINCE ITS INDUCTION IN 1988 AND IN THE PAST ENTIRE FLEET WAS GROUNDED DUE TO SERIOUS ENGINE FAILURE PROBLEMS.AIR CRASH INVESTIGATIONS SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO PUBLIC AS WE ARE THE TAX PAYERS AND DEFENSE MINISTRY IS NOT A HOLY COW WHOM CANNOT BE TOUCHED.TRAINING LEVEL OF THE PILOTS SHOULD ALSO BE IMPROVED ABREAST WITH TECHNICAL SUPPORT OF SOVIET GOODS AND MACHINERY.