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IAF’s Hawk aircraft crashes in Subarnarekha river on Jharkhand-Odisha border, pilot ejects safely
The pilot, Arvind Abhisek Joshi, ejected before the plane crashed in Mahuladangri village under Baheragora police station limits, but was injured in the process.
A fighter jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed into a riverbed of the Subarnarekha on the Jharkhand-Odisha border on Tuesday during a routine training sortie after taking off from Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal.
The pilot, Arvind Abhisek Joshi, ejected before the plane crashed in Mahuladangri village under Baheragora police station limits, but was injured in the process.
He was taken to Baheragora hospital, where, after basic treatment, he was airlifted in an IAF chopper back to the Kalaikunda airbase.
Locals said the aircraft was burnt completely on the riverbed and informed the police and firemen.
Ghatsila sub-divisional officer Arvind Kumar Lal said the aircraft caught fire due to some technical fault.
A court of inquiry will investigate to ascertain reason behind the accident, an IAF statement said.
Former Jharkhand BJP president, Dineshanad Goswami, who is a resident of Bahargora and was in the area, rushed to the spot for help.
“Thankfully, the pilot timely ejected himself with a parachute and chose a secluded riverbank for the crash landing and averted a major mishap in the area,” he said.
