Desert Storm
Summers are particularly severe in the Thar desert with temperatures shooting up to 50 degrees Celsius.
IAF’s Wing Commander M Rana and Flight Lieutenant Advitiya Bal, the two pilots who were on the routine night mission in MIG-21 plane, died when the fighter aircraft crashed and turned into a fireball in the sky over Bhimra village in the Barmer district on Thursday night.
In his tweet A Bharat Bhushan Babu, a spokesperson in MOD, said, “Salute to 2 brave #IAF pilots who lost their lives in Mig-21 trainer crash yesterday near Barmer. They were on a routine night mission. While Wg Cdr M Rana commissioned in Dec 05 & was Flt Cdr of the Sqn, young Flt Lt Advitiya Bal was a budding fighter pilot commissioned in June 2018″.
A twin seater Mig-21 trainer aircraft of the IAF, airborne for a training sortie from Uttarlai air base in Rajasthan, was crashed mid air and two pilots died around 9:10 pm at Baytoo’s Bhuronion-ki-Dhani in the Barmer district.
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The pilots could not eject safely as the fighter plane suddenly turned into the fireball and its burning pieces fell down on a barren agricultural land of a villager. The fire was doused or settled down itself in about 2 hours under the misty weather conditions.
Rajnath Singh, Defense Minister, in his tweet, said, “Deeply anguished by the loss of two Air Warriors due to an accident of IAF’s Mig-21 trainer aircraft near Barmer in Rajasthan. Their service to the nation will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of sadness”.
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