A MiG 29K fighter aircraft crashed over the sea on Wednesday during a routine sortie off the Goa coast.

According to reports, the pilot was able to safely eject from the aircraft and was recovered in a swift search and rescue operation.

The pilot was reported to be in stable condition.

Officials said that aircraft crashed after it developed a technical malfunction while returning to base.

Meanwhile, a Board of Inquiry (BoI) has been ordered to investigate the cause of the incident.

Notably, it was the fourth accident involving the MiG-29K since 2019.

In November 2020, a fighter pilot died after a MiG-29K crash in November 2020. While one of the pilots was rescued soon after the incident, Commander Nishant Singh's body was recovered 11 days after the crash.

In November 2019, a MiG-29K trainer aircraft crashed outside a village in Goa. Both the pilots had ejected safely.