Wing Commander Hanumantha Rao Sarathi was flying a Mirage 2000 as a part of routine operational flying training mission.
Screen grab of IAF aircrafts crash in Gwalior in MP
An IAF pilot from the Belagavi district in Karnataka was killed when two fighter jets — a Sukhoi and Mirage 2000 — crashed near Morena in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, 28 January.
Wing Commander Hanumantha Rao Sarathi, 34, who succumbed to injuries, hailed from Ganeshpura. Two other pilots escaped.
The fighters had earlier taken off from Gwalior Air Base on a routine operational flying training mission.
“One of the three pilots involved sustained fatal injuries. An inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause of the accident,” the IAF said in a statement.
Wing Commander Hanumantha Rao Sarathi with his parents. (Sourced)
Initial reports hinted at a possible mid-air collision, however, there has been no official communication from the IAF. Wing Commander Sarathi was flying the Mirage 2000.
Wing Commander Sarathi’s father, Revanna Siddappa, had served as a captain in the Indian Army.
His brother Praveen is a Group Captain in the IAF. The body is expected to arrive at his hometown in Belagavi on a special flight on Sunday, 29 January.
“IAF deeply regrets to inform that Wg Cdr Hanumanth Rao Sarathi suffered fatal injuries during the accident. All air warriors and the fraternity stand strongly with the bereaved family,” the IAF said in the statement.
Sarathi did his schooling in Kendriya Vidyalaya-2 in Belagavi. After becoming a pilot, he settled in Gwalior with his wife and children.
Sarathi has been serving in the Indian Air Force since 2009.
He is survived by his parents, wife Mimansha, a three-year-old daughter and a year-old son.
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