A wing of the MiG-21 being pulled out. Telegraph picture

Shibkhola/Siliguri, March 1: Flight Lieutenant Elizabeth was among the first to know that something was amiss with the MiG-21 that her husband was flying.

She was on duty at the air-traffic control tower at Bagdogra airbase a little before 1 pm today when the aircraft piloted by Squadron Leader Swapna Sunder Pandey disappeared from the radar screen.

Elizabeth’s fears were confirmed soon after when Kurseong police informed IAF authorities that a defence aircraft had crashed into the hillside about 1,000 ft above Shibkhola in Darjeeling district, around 35 km from Siliguri.

Fire brigade and police teams had left for the crash site from Kurseong, the authorities at Bagdogra Air Force Station were told.

“When our personnel reached the site, they confirmed that Squadron Leader Pandey had died on the spot,” said Bagdogra airbase station commander Group Captain S. Chandramouli. “He was on a routine training sortie. The first MiG in the pair had landed. Pandey was about to land when the mishap occurred.”

The group captain added that the MiG had left for the sortie at 12.35 pm. At 12.54 pm, the radar could not locate it and, at 1.10 pm, people from Narbong tea estate informed the airbase about the incident on the phone. The pilot’s body was found around 5.15 pm.

“It is too early to say what caused the crash. An inquiry will reveal the facts,” Chandramouli later said.

This is the fifth air force plane to crash in north Bengal since 2002. A few days ago, the Eastern Air Command had declared the Bagdogra airbase the best in the region.