Su-30MKI: One more IAF crash probe ends sans findings

NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force has added to its growing list of unresolved air crashes, terming “inconclusive” the probe into the Su-30MKI crash in October last year in which two pilots ejected from a seemingly functional fighter jet. An air force official said that the inquiry into the unique accident, in which both pilots were ejected while the fighter manufactured by Russia’s Sukhoi was on its final approach to land in Pune, has been completed but the flight safety team has not been able to come to a conclusion on the cause.

However, Russia, which assisted the Indian team in investigating the crash, has publicly said after the joint probe that no defect was found in the plane and that the incident occurred due to a pilot error.

Russia’s Ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin has said that “human error” was the cause of the crash .

Top defence ministry officials share this view, people familiar with the matter said. A trainee pilot may have accidentally ejected the pilot seats, they said. It is believed that the two officers who were piloting the aircraft, Wing Commander Sidharth Vishwas Munje and Flying Officer Anup Singh, are still not back on active flying duty.

The unresolved crash will add to the growing list of accidents that have occurred in the past few years that could not be attributed to a particular fault. As reported by ET, a CAG report into flight safety had pointed out that almost 40% of the crashes attributed to technical defect remain unresolved due to the lack of advanced air crash investigation technology.