The remains of an Indian Air Force pilot, who died when his MiG-29 fighter aircraft crashed in the Lahaul Valley in Himachal Pradesh, have finally been found 19 days after the crash.
Some of the burnt remains of 32-year-old Squadron Leader Dharmendra Singh Tomar wre found by search teams in the cockpit of his aircraft. The cockpit was found close to the Gangstang glacier in Kherot village in the Chokhang hills at an altitude of 15,000-17,000 feet on Saturday. Bad weather and snow had seriously hampered the search operations at the high altitude.
The family of the 32-year-old pilot had even announced a cash award to help trace the pilot whose remains could not be found for over two weeks. Belonging to Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, the pilot is survived by his wife, Neha and a two-and-half-year-old son, Veer.
While the news of the young pilot’s remains having been found was conveyed to his family, it was still grappling with disbelief. “We are not believing the news. Our hopes are still alive. We are waiting for further information. The entire family is praying for my brother,” said the dead pilot Tomar’s brother Shiloo according to agencies.
On a routine training mission, the fighter aircraft had crashed on October 18. The MiG-29 was on a night mission after taking off from Adampur for Jalandhar. The pilot’s remains have been sent for a forensic examination too.
Other than the cockpit, some more parts of the engine and wings were also found.
Now, the IAF hopes to recover the Flight Data Recorder (black box). It is expected that the FDR’s recovery will help pin-point the reasons for the crash.
IAF’s search and rescue team had reached the accident site nine days after the MiG-29, which was on a routine training mission, crashed on the night of October 18.
The search and rescue mission was hampered due to bad weather and fresh snow fall in the area. Identification of the site where the plane had crashed and collection of the debris has been a very difficult task, a spokesperson said.
The MiG-29 was on a night mission after taking off from Adampur for Jalandhar.
In order to locate the wreckage, IAF had launched a massive search operation.