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Jaipur: An Air Force fighter jet MiG-29 crashed near Alani ki Dhani in Kawas area of Barmer at late on Monday night however a major accident was averted due to the skill of the pilot as he crashed the fighter jet in the deserted fields and managed to save the nearby oil depot and market.
The pilot himself is safe and was found on the National Highway, about 8 km away from the incident site. The Air Force has ordered Court of Inquiry of the crash.
Local people said that the pilot took the plane moving fast towards the ground away from the population area of about 1500 people. There is also Mangala Terminal Process Unit of crude oil in Nagna, at a distance of 3 km from where the plane crashed. Every day 1.75 lakh barrels of crude oil is sent to the refinery of Gujarat from this unit. It could be major accident If the MiG had fallen near this terminal.
The pilot crashed the MiG in a deserted field. There was a massive explosion as soon as the plan crashed. Earlier, the plane caught fire in the sky itself.
As per reports, the pilot ejected only after he was sure that the plane would fall in a deserted area. He was found near National Highway-68, about 8 km away from the incident site. The pilot had landed by parachute After this, the Air Force officials who reached the spot took him to the hospital.
The Indian Air Force said on X "During a routine night training mission in Barmer sector, an IAF MiG-29 encountered a critical technical snag, forcing the pilot to eject. The pilot is safe and no loss of life or property was reported. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered.
