MIG 21 aircraft crashed near Kurseong

Siliguri, Mar 01 (UNI) A MiG-21 aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed near Kurseong in Darjeeling district today.

Official sources quoting preliminary reports here said immediately after the crash was noticed an IAF team from nearby Hasimara Airforce Base had rushed to the spot and launched a search for the pilot -Squadron Leader S.Pandey- who still remained untraced.

The aircarft which took off from Hasimara base on a practice sortie at around 13-00 hours,crashlanded immediately afterwards somewhere between Norbong tea estate and Shibkhola in Kurseong sub-division.

Incidentally,this was the first incident this year when the IAF had lost a MIG aircraft in this part of the country.

UNI