What happened
A survey mission originating from Mehran NAS in Karachi ended in a fatal engagement near the border between Pakistan and India. The aircraft, a Breguet, was conducting aerial surveillance over the Kashmir region and the frontier area when it was targeted by an Indian MiG-21 fighter. During the encounter, the pilot of the MiG-21 launched an air-to-air missile, striking the surveillance plane.
Following the missile impact, the aircraft entered a steep dive and crashed within the Rann of Kutch, located in Indian territory. The force of the impact caused the aircraft to disintegrate. There were no survivors from the incident, as all 16 individuals on board—consisting of six officers and ten marines from the Pakistan Navy Corps—were killed.
Findings
- The aircraft was intercepted and destroyed by an air-to-air missile fired from an Indian MiG-21 fighter jet.