 "The Jaguar fighter jet crash on Wednesday night claimed life of Flight Lieutenant Siddharth Yadav. The 28-year-old IAF pilot who belonged to Haryana's Rewari. Image courtesy: X/@abhishekyadav97")
A Jaguar fighter jet of the Indian Air Force crashed near Jamnagar, Gujarat, on Wednesday night during a routine training sortie. The crash tragically claimed the life of a young IAF pilot, Flight Lieutenant Siddharth Yadav.
In his final moments, the 28-year-old pilot, who belonged to Haryana’s Rewari, made a split-second decision that saved countless civilian lives. As the aircraft went down, the pilot heroically steered it away from a densely populated area, preventing a larger disaster. Not only this, he also ensured his co-pilot’s safety by ejecting him first, before sacrificing his own life.
Here’s what we know about him.
Family with a legacy of military service
Flight Lieutenant Siddharth Yadav came from a family deeply rooted in military service.
His great-grandfather served in the Bengal Engineers under British rule, his grandfather, Raghubir Singh, was in the paramilitary forces, and his father, Sushil Kumar, also served in the Indian Air Force before moving to LIC. With Siddharth joining the Air Force, he became the fourth generation in his family to serve the nation, ANI reported.
After clearing the NDA exam in 2016, Siddharth underwent three years of intense training at Pune’s National Defence Academy before earning his wings as a fighter pilot. After two years of service, he was promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant.
“He was a brilliant student. We had always been proud of him… My father and grandfather were in the army. I was also in the Air Force. I am very proud of him; he lost his life while saving a life… But it is also a matter of grief as he was my only son,” his father said.
Siddharth is survived by his father, mother Sushila Devi, and younger sister Khushi.
Siddharth got engaged days before the crash
Yadav’s father revealed that just ten days before the crash, on March 23, Siddharth had gotten engaged to his fiancée from Delhi. His family, who hails from Bhalkhi-Majra village in Rewari, was in the middle of wedding preparations, looking forward to his marriage on November 2.
He had recently returned to duty on March 31 after spending time with his family in Rewari. They received the devastating news from the commanding air officer around 11 pm. The officer informed him that one pilot had been rescued, but Siddharth had lost his life in the crash.
Despite the immense grief, his father takes solace in his son’s bravery. “Siddharth sacrificed his life to save the lives of others. We are proud of him,” he said.
The IAF, in a statement, “deeply regretted the loss of life” and said “it stands firmly with the bereaved family”. It also ordered a Court of Inquiry to verify the cause of the accident.
How Siddharth’s heroic decision in the final moments saved lives
According to a statement from the IAF, the two-seater Jaguar fighter jet took off from Jamnagar Airfield on Wednesday night for a routine night training mission.
The pilots noticed a “technical malfunction” when flying mid-air. Despite their best efforts to stabilise the aircraft and attempt a safe landing, it became evident that a crash was unavoidable.
In his final moments, Siddharth ejected his fellow pilot, Manoj Kumar Singh, from the aircraft to save his life and steered the plane away from a densely populated area, ultimately guiding it into an open field near Suvarda village, about 12 km from Jamnagar city.
Tragically, the young pilot lost his life in the crash, but his heroic actions saved many. His co-pilot, Manoj Kumar Singh, survived with a fractured leg and is currently undergoing treatment, Dr Deepak Tiwari, Superintendent of Guru Gobind Singh Government Hospital, confirmed.
Siddharth’s body is expected to reach Rewari on Friday morning, His last rites will be performed in his ancestral village, Bhalaki-Majra, with full military honours.
With input from agencies