In yet another air mishap, a Mig-21 fighter aircraft of IAF crashed in the snowbound mountains between Doda and Basantgarh in Reasi district on Tuesday killing its pilot Squadron Leader P G Reddy. Squadron Leader Reddy hails from Tirupati.
The aircraft lost contact with ground control minutes after taking off from the Udhampur air base at 10.40 a.m, and was reported missing for over five hours as IAF helicopters and Army search teams fanned out to locate it.
“The aircraft wreckage and the body of the pilot were found after 5 hours of search by IAF helicopters” an IAF spokesman, Wing Commander Sanjiv Sharma said in New Delhi. He said the body of the pilot was found near the wreckage site in the snow bound pass between Doda and Basantgarh district, about 165 kms from Jammu.“A court of inquiry has been ordered,” Sharma said.
Before the wreckage was located, a number of army and air force search parties had been sent out towards Poonch, Kathua, Bhaderwah, Ramban and Doda districts.