Mig-29K crash: Fighter pilot Nishant Singh laid to rest with full military honours in Goa

Indian Navy fighter pilot Commander Nishant Singh, who did not survive the Mig-29K crash on November 26, was laid to rest with full military honours in Goa on Friday. His wife, Nayaab Randhawa, received the Tricolour and her husband’s uniform from the Commanding Officer of the squadron.

The son of a naval officer, Commander Nishant was a Qualified Flying Instructor adept on Kiran, Hawk, and Mig-29K fighter aircraft. He was the Indian Navy’s one of the most accomplished aviators and had received advanced strike training with the US Navy. The officer was also a qualified mountaineer as well as a skilled yachtsman.

On December 7, his body was found 30 miles off the coast of Goa on the sea bed 70 metres below water after an extensive search mission, more than 10 days after he went missing off the coast of Goa. The mortal remains were recovered in the vicinity of the wreckage site.

Admiral Karambir Singh #CNS & all personnel of Indian Navy offer deepest condolences to the family of Cdr Nishant.#NationFirst pic.twitter.com/zhG1G3zfsS

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 11, 2020

The MiG-29K jet had crashed while operating over the Arabian Sea. The Russian-origin jet had taken off from aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and went down at around 5 pm on November 26. The INS Vikramaditya was part of the recent Malabar naval exercise involving the navies of India, the US, Australia and Japan.

While one pilot was rescued, Cdr Nishant had gone missing after ejecting from the plane.

“All sections of the aircraft wreckage including ejection seats have been accounted for using side-scan sonar and HD cameras. The flight data recorder/cockpit voice recorder along with other important material has been recovered so far for analysis/investigation,” the Indian Navy had said in a statement.