India’s “flying coffins” have claimed over 200 lives

[Irfan Baloch]

NEW DELHI: Dubbed “flying coffins” or “widow makers” in the air force, India’s ageing collection of Soviet-era MiGs have long been unpopular with air force pilots. New figures unveiled Wednesday show why.


India’s Defence Minister A.K. Antony said there had been 482 accidents in the last 30 years, resulting in the deaths of 171 pilots and 39 civilians. The MiG fleet is now 873-strong.

New Delhi’s acquisitions began in 1966 with MiG-21 interceptors, and the next two decades saw the induction of the high-speed MiG 25, ground-attack MiG 27 and the fourth-generation MiG-29 fighter jets into the Indian Air Force.

Experts say a majority of the accidents involved India’s single-engine-based MiG-21s, a combat aeroplane which has been flown by some 50 countries since it was developed by then Soviet Union in the 1950s.

“A total of 171 pilots, 39 civilians, eight service personnel and one aircrew lost their lives in these accidents,” the defence minister told parliament, referring to the period from 1971-1972 to April 19 this year.

The accidents were blamed on “human error and technical defects”.

Antony in February said that the Indian Air Force would start phasing out its mainstay MiG-21s, comprising 40 per cent of its total fleet, beginning 2014.

Recurring crashes involving the single-engine MiG-21 inspired Bollywood film “Rang De Basanti” (Color It Saffron) in 2006, and sparked a spirited campaign in 2003 by relatives of a killed pilot for the scrapping of the war jets.

India plans to replace its MiGs with 123 modern aircraft in a deal worth $12 billion. France’s Dassault Aviation in January won the right to enter exclusive negotiations to sell its Rafale planes.

Price negotiations are currently under way between the French firm and India.

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http://dawn.com/2012/05/02/indias-flying-coffins-have-claimed-over-200-lives/

is it the ageing airframe/engine failure or the pilot error being the main cause of crash of this legendary fighter?

 

[SQ8]

Sometimes extreme checks on accountability and the associated bureaucracy can work against national interest.

 

[fd24]

^^^^^^^^^

For the sake of all - when will this "flying coffin" be grounded for good? Human error or not it has to be grounded and terminated.

 

[SQ8]

^^^^^^^^^

For the sake of all - when will this "flying coffin" be grounded for good? Human error or not it has to be grounded and terminated.

Well.. in their case it may be post-elections..
post-elections India.. and post-elections France.

 

[Ambitious.Asian]

Well the title was Hilarious.......it should be correct enough to blame Indian media for naming a "FLYING LEGEND" as a coffin...

 

[Sergi]

Wow nice to see concerns about Migs across the boarder
Post elections India post elections France ???
You missed something
Indian elections are in 2014. Deal will be finalise in Jan/Feb 2013.
Post election France doesn't count here as any French president will want to sell the Rafale to India. It's business.

On facts
Mig 21 are the most loved plane by Indian pilots. And I know it from actual fly boys. But the fact is true they are old and servered over a long period of time.

 

[Irfan Baloch]

Well.. in their case it may be post-elections..
post-elections India.. and post-elections France.

so the news item in the end correctly links French Rafales with Mig-21s? I mean French planes to replace Mig 21s? I thought both will be independent. i.e induction of Rafales and grounding of Migs.

 

[Windjammer]

 

[Hulk]

shame on our politicians..

 

[Ambitious.Asian]

I am seeing this Lost mania from last few years.......why to repeat it again & again.......now i am sick of it

 

[SQ8]

Wow nice to see concerns about Migs across the boarder
Post elections India post elections France ???
You missed something
Indian elections are in 2014. Deal will be finalise in Jan/Feb 2013.
Post election France doesn't count here as any French president will want to sell the Raffel to India. It's business.

On facts
Mig 21 are the most loved plane by Indian pilots. And I know it from actual fly boys. But the fact is true they are old and servered over a long period of time.

Its Rafale..
And the elections will be used by politicians from both sides to play blame games. It remains to be seen whether Congress can see this deal through smoothly or will there be the usual pithy barbs flying at the last minute.
It will be up to the IAF to take a stand and force the decision as quickly as possible.
The French will do it.. but their elections will delay.. not change the decision.. hence the mention.

Yes. the Migs are well loved.. but they are notorious for being unforgiving to any operator.
Its time to push the MMRCA in ASAP.

so the news item in the end correctly links French Rafales with Mig-21s? I mean French planes to replace Mig 21s? I thought both will be independent. i.e induction of Rafales and grounding of Migs.

With the LCA still not in gear.. The Mig-21 units will have to be the first to take on the MMRCA's.
The role of the mig-21 is still slated to be taken over by the Tejas.. when it arrives.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

Its Rafale..
And the elections will be used by politicians from both sides to play blame games. It remains to be seen whether Congress can see this deal through smoothly or will there be the usual pithy barbs flying at the last minute.
It will be up to the IAF to take a stand and force the decision as quickly as possible.
The French will do it.. but their elections will delay.. not change the decision.. hence the mention.

Yes. the Migs are well loved.. but they are notorious for being unforgiving to any operator.
Its time to push the MMRCA in ASAP.



With the LCA still not in gear.. The Mig-21 units will have to be the first to take on the MMRCA's.
The role of the mig-21 is still slated to be taken over by the Tejas.. when it arrives.

The Migs are unforgiving to any careless operator. Unlike other aircraft, they give no physical warnings/indications if flown close to the edge of the envelope. Just the antithesis of the concept of "carefree handling" that is nowadays tagged on to aircraft.

 

[Windjammer]

List of Indian Aircraft crashes since 1980

159 Mig-21's
40 Mig-27's
12 Mig-29's
3 Su-30's
9 Mirage-2000's
19 Harriers
39 Jaguars
24 Unidentified FIGHTER planes most probably MiG-21s.

This detail does not contain the now retired aircraft such as the Mig-23's, Mig-25's, Su-7's etc.
Inclusive of these machines would push the number in the region of 400.

I am seeing this Lost mania from last few years.......why to repeat it again & again.......now i am sick of it

Agreed.....it should be lost but never found. !!

 

[SQ8]

The Migs are unforgiving to any careless operator. Unlike other aircraft, they give no physical warnings/indications if flown close to the edge of the envelope. Just the antithesis of the concept of "carefree handling" that is nowadays tagged on to aircraft.

I think we are too hard on the Migs..
The newer crop is said to be as easy to fly as their western counterparts...and as intuitive.
However.. careless or not.. any nugget in a Mig is facing a greater challenge than his similie in a western aircraft.

 

[Windjammer]

Double Post. !