A body had been recovered at the MiG-29K fighter jet wreckage site and samples were being sent for DNA testing for confirmation of identity, the Navy said on Monday.
The twin-seater trainer aircraft crashed at sea off the Goa coast on November 26 and a massive Search and Rescue (SAR) had been on with deployment of nine ships, fast interceptor craft and 14 aircraft to locate the missing pilot. The co-pilot had ejected and was recovered safely.
“Aerial search by maritime reconnaissance aircraft and helicopter sorties amounting to 270 hours have been undertaken so far,” the Navy said. Underwater search around the crash site, including extensive dives by saturation divers and continuous overnight search using High Definition (HD) camera have been undertaken in the last 10 days, it stated.
All sections of the aircraft wreckage, including the ejection seats, have been accounted for, using side scan sonar and HD cameras. The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), along with other important material, have been recovered for analysis and investigation, the Navy added.
Last week, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh said the sonar locator beacon was working and most of the wreckage had been located based on it. The Pilot Locator Beacon (PLB) has to be manually activated.
India has 45 MIG-29Ks contracted from Russia. Based in Goa, they operate off aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.
