Visakhapatnam: MiG fuel tank falls at take-off
No one has been injured and no damage has been sustained to the aircraft or the runway,†said a senior official of the Indian Navy.
Visakhapatnam: Two fuel tanks that fell from a Navy MiG-29K fighter jet caused a scare on Monday. One accidentally fell on the runway at naval air station INS Dega while the aircraft was taking off. The other tank was jettisoned by the pilots while landing and it fell on the premises of the CISF Quarters in Malkapuram.
The MIG-29K has a maximum speed twice that of sound — about 2,000 kmph. No one was hurt at the CISF Quarters where the second fuel tank — of 400-litre capacity — fell. Sources said that the efforts of the pilots to jettison the second tank, which was empty, to maintain the weight of the wings, into the sea were not successful and it landed in the CISF quarters.
“A minor fire broke out on the runway of INS Dega when a fuel drop tank of a MIG-29K jettisoned accidentally while the MIG was taking off on a training sortie. Prompt action by support staff resulted in quick dousing of the fire. No one has been injured and no damage has been sustained to the aircraft or the runway,” said a senior official of the Indian Navy.
Jet dumped tank in colony
A probe has been ordered into the incident. “Each MIG has two fuel tanks, one under each wing. Before coming in for landing, the aircraft has to have equal weight on both wings. Thus before landing, the aircraft dropped the empty fuel tank so that the landing was safe,” said a ENC official.
“We heard a thud and then we saw the tank. Fortunately nobody was hurt,” said a resident of CISF Quarters. A recent report by the CAG, which was tabled in Parliament last month, had pointed out that MIG-29Ks faced operational deficiencies due to defects in engines, airframe and fly-by-wire system, leading to very low availability.