Agra: Villagers in Bagha Songa, Agra, were left in shock after a MiG-29 fighter jet crashed near their homes on Monday. According to eyewitnesses, the plane was engulfed in flames as it flew erratically across the sky before crashing in an empty field, narrowly avoiding the populated area.
Mahesh Kumar, a local resident, said, "It was evening, and most of us were working in the fields when we heard a loud explosion. We looked up to see the plane, trailing flames, flying dangerously low. It seemed like it was going to fall right on us."
The jet continued to fly for about 20 seconds before hitting the ground. "For a moment, we assumed the plane would crash into the village, but it fell into the field instead," said Rajesh Kumar, another villager.
As the plane crashed, Wing Commander Manish Mishra ejected from the aircraft and parachuted to safety in a nearby field. The villagers quickly ran to help him. "We asked the pilot if he was injured, but he said he was fine," Mahesh Kumar recalled.
Within an hour, Air Force officers arrived by helicopter, securing the area and collecting scattered debris from the crash site, which extended over a one-kilometre radius. They recovered the ejection seat and other parts of the plane. The black box, which records critical flight data, was also retrieved for further investigation.
The MiG-29 caught fire upon impact, with explosions continuing for nearly two and a half hours before fire brigade personnel managed to control the blaze. The villagers, who had been anxiously watching from a distance, were relieved that no lives were lost.
The black box, which contains both flight data and cockpit voice recordings, will be key to determining the technical fault that led to the crash.
Read more: Agra: Indian Air Force Plane Crashes In Uttar Pradesh, Pilot Ejects Safely
