Pilot still missing after jet crash

A pilot of the Bangladesh Air Force is still missing a day after his fighter aircraft crashed into sea.

Rescuers continued to search for Flight Lieutenant Rumman Tahmid Chowdhury who was flying a F-7 fighter on Monday. 

The jet crashed in the Bravo Anchorage of the Bay of Bengal at Chittagong during a training flight around noon. 

Coast guards found two pieces of debris from the jet on Monday afternoon. 

“We did not find any more debris after searching all night. There is also no trace of the missing pilot,” Coast Guard East Zone official Lieutenant Durul Huda told bdnews24.com on Tuesday morning.  

The sea is rough but the navy vessels ‘Atandra’, ‘Madhumati’, ‘Shurabhi’ are continuing to look for the missing pilot along with the coast guard ship ‘Toufique’ and three metal shark boats.  

Three air force helicopters had also joined the search.

The control room at BAF Zahurul Haque base lost contact with Tahmid’s jet around 11:10am after take off.

After 30 minutes, it was confirmed that the fighter had crashed six miles off Patenga coast.  

Md Babul Haider, watchman of MV Alexander, witnessed the aircraft crash into the sea  from the ship at Chittagong port’s outer anchorage.

“It was 11:20am. I briefly saw him (pilot, perhaps) raise his hands above water. I showed the location to the navy and coast guard when they arrived,” he told bdnews24.com.

“We’re trying to locate the aircraft using Navy ship Surabhi’s side-scan sonar,” said Coast Guard official Nurul Huda.

The Bangladesh Air Force has made no official statement over the accident.

It is also unclear whether the pilot tried to eject from the F-7 aircraft and was he successful . 

A source at Chittagong airport’s control room said Flight Lieutenant Tahmid did not send off any distress signal before the contact was lost. 

Rumman Tahmid Chowdhury is the son of Abdul Qader Chowdhury of Chittagong’s Anwara Upazila. The family lives in Dhaka.