Pilot killed in MiG-29K crash laid to rest in Goa with full military honours

The Indian Navy on Friday laid to rest Commander Nishant Singh, the fighter pilot who died in a MiG-29K crash off Goa coast on November 26, with full military honours, a senior official said.

"Commander Nishant did not survive the MiG-29K crash off Goa on November 26. His wife Nayaab Randhawa received the tricolour and her husband's uniform from the Commanding Officer of the squadron," a Navy spokesman said.

The son of a naval officer, Cdr Nishant was a qualified flying instructor adept on Kiran, Hawk and MIG-29K fighter aircraft.

"The Indian Navy has lost one of its most accomplished aviators in Cdr Nishant, as he had also received advanced strike training with the US Navy," the official said, adding that the deceased officer had also been a qualified mountaineer and a skilled yachtsman.

The Russian-origin jet had taken off from aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, and crashed into the Arabian Sea off Goa coast at around 5 pm on November 26.

While one of the pilots was rescued soon after the incident, Cdr Nishant's body was recovered earlier this week.