An upgraded MiG-21 Bison fighter crashed near Shambu in Punjab's Patiala district on 6 September 2011. However, the young pilot Flight Lieutenant Arnav Ghosh managed to eject safely.
The crash of MiG-21 Bison near Patiala followed another MiG-21 crashed at the Nal airbase in Rajasthan in August 2011 that killed young pilot Flying Officer Suraj Pillai.
MiG-21s were the first supersonic fighters to be inducted by IAF in 1963 and proved to be of great service over the years. However it has a horrific crash track-record. The majority of the over 1000 crashes recorded since 1970 have involved MiG-21s.
For instance, of the 793 MiG-21s inducted into IAF since 1963, over 350 have been lost in accidents, killing about 170 pilots. Most accidents of the single-engine MiG-21s, of the 1960s design vintage without modern systems like FADEC (full authority digital electronic controls) and mission computers, occured during take-off and landing. Combination of factors like inadequate training, shoddy quality control on supply of spares, poor servicing and maintenance result in the crashes.
IAF will continue to fly the over 100 MiG-21 Bisons till 2017 as it is with a shortage in the number of fighter squadrons.
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