Wing Commander M Rana and Flight Lieutenant Advitiya Bal lost their lives in yesterdays Balmer Mig 21 crash

On Thursday night, the Indian Air Force’s Mig-21 trainer aircraft crashed in Rajasthan’s Barmer, which led to the death of two pilots.  This incident took place when a Twin-seater Mig-21 trainer aircraft of the IAF was airborne for a training sortie from an air base in Utarlai, Rajasthan. The two pilots who lost their lives in this unfortunate jet crash incident were,  Wing Commander M Rana and Flight Lieutenant Advitiya Bal.

In a statement, the IAF stated “A twin seater Mig-21 trainer aircraft of the IAF was airborne for a training sortie from Utarlai air base in Rajasthan this evening.”

It further said “Around 9:10 pm, the aircraft met with an accident near Barmer. Both pilots sustained fatal injuries. The IAF deeply regrets the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families,”
The minister of defence, Rajnath Singh, expressed grief for the lives lost and expressed sadness over the situation. “Deeply anguished by the loss of two Air Warriors due to an accident of IAF’s Mig-21 trainer aircraft near Barmer in Rajasthan,” Singh said on Twitter. Their service to the nation will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of sadness,” he said.

Deeply anguished by the loss of two Air Warriors due to an accident of IAF’s Mig-21 trainer aircraft near Barmer in Rajasthan. Their service to the nation will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of sadness. https://t.co/avKi9YoMdo

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 28, 2022

The IAF said that they deeply regretted the loss of lives and that their prayers are with the bereaved families. In order to ascertain the cause of the accident, a court of inquiry has been ordered.

The MiG-21s served as the IAF’s mainstay for a very long time. However, the aircraft has a dismal safety record.

There have been 45 air accidents in the last five years, of which 29 involved IAF platforms.