Panaji, October 12: A MiG 29K fighter aircraft on Wednesday crashed over the sea on a routine sortie off the Goa coast, the Indian Navy said.
The officials said the aircraft crashed after it developed a technical malfunction while returning to base.
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"Pilot ejected safely and was recovered in a swift search and rescue operation," the official said.
The pilot was reported to be in stable condition.
A Board of Inquiry (BoI) has been ordered to investigate the cause of the incident.
The Indian Navy is the world's only operator of the MiG-29K fighter aircraft acquired from Russia along with Admiral Gorshkov renamed INS Vikramaditya in India.
The safety record of the MiG-29Ks has not been very good. The force is now looking at the procurement of 25-26 foreign fighter aircraft for operations from the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant commissioned recently by the Prime Minister in Kochi.
The MiG-29s are deployed in Goa at the naval base INS Hansa.
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Updating…
-PTC News with ANI inputs