DHNS
Bidar, Jan 22: An Indian Air Force fighter pilot, Wing Commander R S Dhaliwal, 35, was killed when his aircraft crashed behind the Air Force station compound near Belur village on the Bidar city outskirts during a routine flying training exercise on Wednesday.
Confirming the death of Dhaliwal, IAF officers said a formation of three Surya Kiran aircraft were on a routine flying exercise when the mishap occurred.
Wing Commander R S Dhaliwal
The black box of the aircraft was retrieved from the crash site and the area cordoned off.
Senior IAF officers said the exact cause of the accident was not known and a court of inquiry had been ordered into it.
Syed Qayum Saheb, a resident of S M Krishna Nagar near the crash site, told Deccan Herald that he saw a three-aircraft formation flying when one of them suddenly came down low, crashing and bursting into flames.
Wing Commander Dahliwal, a MiG-29 fighter pilot, was flying in preparation for the upcoming Aero India scheduled to be held next month at Yelahanka in Bangalore.
A native of Patiala, Punjab, he was the son of a retired IAF officer and a member of the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) with 2,100 hours of flying experience. He joined the team recently and is survived by two sons, a daughter and wife Rubina.
Aerial survey
Air Commodore Ramesh Rai and senior IAF officers visited the spot. It was also learnt that a team of Air Force officers from Air Force Station Hakimpet, Hyderabad, made an aerial survey of the crash site, as the aircraft wreckage was spread over 100 metres.
An IAF pilot said: “It is unlikely that an engine failure could have caused the crash, because on a Kiran Mk II aircraft flying at high speed the pilot would have had adequate reaction time to make a transmission, eject or attempt a ‘dead stick’ landing.
“Evidently, the pilot was suddenly incapacitated either due to a bird-hit or because of a health problem. Alternately taking a tight turn after a ‘crossover’, any fouling of the aircraft controls would have made it hit the ground.”
In March 2006, two SKAT pilots Squadron Leader Shailendra Singh and Wg Cdr D Bhatia, were also killed in a crash.
The Surya Kiran aircraft or Kiran Mk II (HJT-16) were manufactured in Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Bangalore, between 1986-88.
Being part of an aerobatic display team, these aircraft generally log a much lower number of flying hours than those aircraft which belong to the IAF operational squadrons, according to sources.