MSN version (extract): With Monday's crash, the total number of Sea Harriers with the navy has come down to 13. Since 1983, seven pilots have died in 17 crashes involving the Sea Harrier. India inducted a fleet of 30 Sea Harriers in 1983, using 25 of these for operational flying and the remaining to train pilots. More than half of the fleet is now gone, lost mostly to routine sorties. In about the last one year, this is the fourth accident involving a Sea Harrier. The last crash involved another Sea Harrier that went down while trying to land on the Naval carrier INS Viraat during the Malabar naval exercises in the Bay of Bengal. Another fighter had plunged into the sea in Goa after it took off, killing the pilot. Sea Harrier pilots are considered the cream of naval fliers.> http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1161277
There is a difference of 1 (13 vs 12) compared to previous reports. But there is agreement that only 3 trainer aircraft are left. There also seems to be widespread support for the point that one crashed while attempting a vertical landing on a carrier in the Bay of Bengal during a high profile international naval exercise. This was missed by the Goan media. It is time that a comprehensive report card in plain English was prepared on the extent of crashes of Dabolim based planes (Sea Harriers, transport planes, choppers etc etc) at or near the airport, and at sea or elsewhere in India. I have a feeling that Dabolim naval air station has not distinguished itself as a centre for flight training. Its future in this specific role should be reviewed.
