Article Posted on : - Aug 28, 2009

A File Photo of Sea Harrier

PANAJI (PTI): The Indian Navy's Sea Harrier aircraft Thursday took to the skies again after being grounded for almost three days, following a crash of one of its plane in which the pilot was killed.

"Sea Harrier of the Indian Navy took to the skies again this morning off Goa after being thoroughly checked by Naval Air Engineers," Indian Navy's public relation officer, Commander M C Joshi said here.

A single seater Sea Harrier aircraft had crashed off Goa coast on August 21 killing its pilot Lieutenant Commander Saurav Saxena during a routine exercise with Indian Naval ships in the Arabian sea.

The entire fleet was grounded on August 25 to execute a systemic check on these fighter aircraft.

Meanwhile, officials said that Naval clearance divers were braving the debilitating pressure and zero visibility at the bottom of the sea off Goa as they attempted to recover the wreckage of the Sea Harrier that had crashed mid-sea.