A MiG 29K combat aircraft of the Indian Navy skid off the runway and caught fire at the Goa airport on Wednesday. The trainee pilot ejected safely before the plane crashed.
The incident led to operations at the Goa airport being suspended from 12.30 pm to about 1.40 pm since Dabolim airport is located inside the naval base.
In a statement, the Navy said in New Delhi that a Board of Inquiry (BoI) had been ordered to investigate the cause of the accident.
"An Indian Navy MiG 29K aircraft operating from Naval Air Station at Goa was involved in an accident today. The pilot aborted take-off during a training sortie," it said.
During deceleration, the aircraft veered off the end of runway and caught fire. The pilot jettisoned the canopy and egressed the aircraft safely, it added.
A malfunction in the aircraft resulted in it not being able to take off and causing the fire.
According to Goa airport director B C H Negi, the incident happened 10 minutes before a civilian aircraft was scheduled to land.
The Russian-made MiG 29K was inducted in the forces on May 11, 2016 after the decommissioning of the Sea Harriers.
The aircraft is currently integrated on-board aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and performs the role of strike fighter and air defence for the Navy.
