Squadron leaders Siddharth Negi and Samir Abrol died in the Mirage 2000 fighter jet crash in Bengaluru on Friday, 1 February. The two pilots were flying a trainer aircraft of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) when they met their tragic fate.
Negi, who hailed from Dehradun, was commissioned in the IAF in June 2009. He would have turned a year older today.
Abrol, from Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad, was commissioned in June 2008 and is survived by his wife.
A look at Squadron leader Abrol’s Facebook profile reflects his love for flying. In 2013, he wrote: “When the airplane makes a sudden noise, you think to yourself ‘Well, I lived a good life!’”
The two Squadron leaders were from the Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) of the Air Force.
Squadron leader Samir Abrol lost his life in the aircraft crash on 1 February.
(Photo: Facebook @samirabrol)
Jet Crash Soon After Take-Off: HAL
According to HAL officials, the Mirage aircraft crashed into a blockade near the runway on Friday. “It happened soon after take-off. They crashed into a blockade near the runway. They ejected but their parachutes caught fire and they landed in the debris,” HAL PRO said.
The pilots had ejected from the aircraft, but one of them died after landing on the wreckage. Reports don’t specify if it was Squadron leader Negi or Abrol. The other succumbed to his injuries in the hospital, where he was admitted in a critical condition.
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