Navy aircraft crashes off Goa, one pilot missing

PANAJI: Nearly seven hours after he ejected from the Sea Harrier which crashed  into the Arabian sea off the Goa coast, Lt Commander Saurav Tiwari of the Indian Navy continues to be missing. Commander Vikram Menon, the co-pilot, who also ejected 17 minutes after the Sea Harrier took off from Dabolim on a routine training mission, could only be traced so far.

“The high-powered, single-engine aircraft developed a ‘technical snag’ while on a routine training mission forcing the two pilots to eject,” a navy spokesperson told DNA. The aircraft reportedly went down off Grundy Island near Mormugao Harbour.

While Cdr Menon was rescued immediately after the crash, the Navy and Coast Guard officials are yet to trace Lt Cdr Tiwari. The Indian Navy and the Coast Guard have initiated a joint search operation five to seven nautical miles from the Goa coast. Helicopters and ships have been pressed into service to trace the missing pilot.

“It’s difficult to trace missing pilots in such a vast sea area,” Commodore Subramaniam told DNA. He added that the crashed plane also couldn’t be traced so far.