Goa airport resumes operations after brief shutdown as Navy fighter jet veers off the runway
The trainee pilot who was flying the aircraft ejected to safety, the Navy said.
A Mig29K fighter jet of the Indian Navy veered off the runway and crashed at Goa’s Dabolim Airport on Wednesday. The trainee pilot ejected to safety, and the airport was shut down as firefighters attempted to douse the flames, the Indian Navy said.
Flight operations resumed at the airport after being shutdown for about an hour. A Navy spokesperson said only three flights were diverted.
The Goa airport operates from the naval base INS Hansa.
“Efforts in hand to localise and extinguish internal fire on board the MiG29K aircraft,” the Navy said.
A Mig29K aircraft with under-trainee pilot goes off runway while taking off at Goa airport. Pilot ejects to safety. Fire on aircraft being extinguished @DefenceMinIndia @SpokespersonMoD
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 3, 2018
Flight operations at Dabolim (Goa) airport resumed @DefenceMinIndia @SpokespersonMoD
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 3, 2018
All flights are likely to be delayed at the airport as the runway is closed for operations, the Herald Goa reported. The crash was reported just 10 minutes before civil flight operations started.
BREAKING: MiG flight crashed inside Dabolim Airport. Pilot escaped, fire fighting going at the site#Goa #Vasco #aircrash pic.twitter.com/kfqsvU0KJJ
— Herald Goa (@oheraldogoa) January 3, 2018
