Indian Navy’s MiG-29K Crashes in Sea, Pilot Stable

An Indian Navy MiG-29K carrier-based multirole fighter jet crashed during a routine sortie off the Goa coast today after developing a technical malfunction.

The Navy confirmed the accident in a Twitter post. “A MiG 29K on a routine sortie over sea off Goa developed a technical malfunction while returning to base. The pilot ejected safely & has been recovered in a swift SAR (search and rescue) operation,” the tweet read.

A board of inquiry (BoI) has been ordered to investigate the cause of the crash.

The MiG-29K is fitted with the Russian-built K-36D-3.5 ejection seat. In the event of the ejection handles being pulled, the pilot in the rear seat is ejected first, followed by the pilot in the front.

Today’s accident is the fourth involving the MiG-29K since 2019.

In November 2020, one of the two pilots died after a MiG-29K crashed. Another MiG-29K had crashed the same year in February after being hit by birds. Both pilots had steered the jet away from habitation before ejecting. A MiG-29K trainer crashed outside a village in Goa in November 2019. Both the pilots had ejected safely.