Air Force loses third Mirage in three weeks

Preliminary reports indicated that the trainer experienced engine trouble at 18,000 feet. It stalled at 1,800 feet, still four nautical miles away from the Maharajpur runway. The pilots ejected safely.

While the maintenance wing has come under the Air Hqs scanner, it’s learnt that a French air force Mirage too met with a similar engine problem recently.

On September 23, a Mirage, piloted by Sqn Ldr H S Gill, went down and there’s prima facie evidence to suggest it had to with maintenance problems.

On October 3, a Mirage fighter, piloted by Sqn Ldr Ram Kumar, crash-landed at Plaisance airport in Mauritius. Preliminary findings point to pilot error.

A French technical team from Dassault Mirage is already in Gwalior, working with IAF and HAL experts to get to the bottom of the problem.

The IAF has two Mirage squadrons: Tigers and Battle Axes.

While Air Hqs is tightlipped, it’s learnt that action may be taken action against some of the officers involved.

What has upset the IAF most is the September 23 crash where the nose wheel fell because some bolts had corroded. This clearly pointed to slackness on the part of the maintenance wing in Gwalior.

The Mauritius incident, on the other hand, is being attributed to pilot error because the undercarriage was not lowered in time before landing.

Sources said that the aircraft’s auxiliary fuel tank, emptied while in flight, took the impact. Had the tank been full, the aircraft could have exploded.

At the time of landing, the aircraft speed was some 220 km per hour. The Mirage, undergoing repairs in Mauritius, will soon be ready for the flight home.