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Indian navy aircraft crashes, pilot killed

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-08-22 00:33

NEW DELHI: A fighter aircraft of the Indian Navy Friday crashed in the Arabian Sea off the coast of the western state of Goa, in which the solo pilot was killed, a senior Indian Defense Ministry official said.

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"The Indian Navy's single-seater Sea Harrier aircraft crashed at around noon when it was on a routine sortie over the Arabian Sea. The pilot failed to eject from the plane when it crashed. The pilot has been identified as Lieutenant Commander Saurav Saxena," the official said, on condition of anonymity.

Efforts are on to retrieve the remains of the fighter jet, he said.

The Indian Navy air arm consists of Sea Harrier jets that operate from the aircraft carrier INS Viraat and from INS Jalashwa.

Recently, the Harriers were modernized for Beyond Visual Range missile capability.