Pilot dies as BAF training fighter jet crashes in Ctg

A pilot was killed and co-pilot was injured after a trainer fighter jet of Bangladesh Air Force YAK-130 crashed into the Karnaphuli River in Patenga of Chattogram on Thursday morning.

The pilot was squadron leader Asim Jawad, 32. The injured is Wing Commander Sohan Hasan Khan.

According to a press release by the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR), the plane crashed into the Karnaphuli River after it was returning to the base post-training around 10:25am.
The two pilots -- Squadron Leader Asim Jawad and Wing Commander Sohan Hasan Khan-- managed to eject from the jet and landed in the river. They were later rescued by members of air force, navy and local fishermen.

The release said Asim Jawad was taken to Navy hospital BNS Patenga in critical condition. Asim succumbed to his injuries at the hospital around noon.

The ISPR release said the pilots were able to take the aircraft from the densely populated area to the sparsely populated area with great courage and skill to avoid major damage after it caught fire.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Bangladesh Air Force Air Chief Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan expressed their deepest condolences over the death of the pilot and conveyed their sympathies to his bereaved family members.

Rescue operations are underway to recover the crashed aircraft.

The release said a high-level committee of the BAF has already been formed to investigate the cause of the accident.

Asim Jawad was born on 20 March 1992 in Gopalpur village in Saturia of Manikganj district.

He joined the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) on 10 January 2010 and was commissioned in the GD (P) branch with the Sword of Honour on December 1 in 2011.

Co-pilot Wing Commander Sohan, who sustained injuries in the incident, is undergoing treatment at the hospital.

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