'A brilliant student, was saving a life': Father of IAF pilot who died in Jaguar fighter crash in Gujarat

NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot who died in a fighter jet crash in Gujarat's Jamnagar was a "brilliant student" and died while saving a life, the deceased pilot's father said on Thursday, remembering his only son.

Flight lieutenant Siddharth Yadav was from Haryana's Rewari. Another pilot sustained injuries in the Jaguar fighter jet crash and is undergoing treatment at a hospital, where his condition is reportedly stable.

"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," Sushil Yadav told media persons.



Flight lieutenant Siddharth Yadav got engaged last week, his father further revealed, adding that the IAF pilot was from course 135 at Pune's National Defence Academy, for which he had enrolled in January 2016.

The father also recalled receiving news about the crash.

"The commanding air officer called last night at around 11 pm and informed us about the incident that an aircraft has crashed, one pilot was rescued and another pilot, our son, had died," he said.

According to the IAF, the two-seater Jaguar aircraft crashed during a night mission.

"An IAF Jaguar two-seater aircraft airborne from Jamnagar Airfield crashed during a night mission. The pilots faced a technical malfunction and initiated ejection, avoiding harm to airfield and local population. Unfortunately, one pilot succumbed to his injuries, while the other is receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Jamnagar. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident," it said in a statement on its X handle.