MIG 21 Lancer crashed in Constanta. Pilot stable

A MIG 21 Lancer military fighter jet has crashed in a wheat field a few kilometers away from Mihail Kogalniceanu Airport in Constanta County.

The pilot ejected from the plane and is now hospitalized and stable.

The MIG 21 Lancer belongs to Air Base 86 in Fetești. It crashed shortly after takeoff at 10,00 a.m, during a training mission for the "Thracian Eagle 2017" exercise, which is being held together with the Bulgarian air forces.

After completing the mission, while returning to the Mihail Kogalniceanu Airport and while executing the landing maneuvers, Lieutenant Commander Adrian Stancu reported a major engine failure with damage at the jet operating parameters.

According to the procedures, the pilot ejected from the plane and the aircraft crashed between the villages of Nazarcea and Culmea, at about eight km from Kogalniceanu Airport, in the wheat fields.

The pilot was rescued, first aid was given on site and he was transported by a SMURD helicopter to the Constanta County Emergency Hospital.

He has a trauma on the lumbar spinal column and his condition is stable.

The case is now being investigated by the Military Prosecutor's Office, and the circumstances of accident will be investigated by a commission appointed by the Chief of Staff of the Romanian Air Force.

Source:RRA. Translated by Miruna Matei