Oral History and Military Publishing

Flying Coffin

The first MiG- 21 crash took place near Chandigarh in December 1963 when two of the aircraft collided mid-air while practicing for the 1964 Republic Day parade. Over the years, the MiG-21 and its variants would be in the news for several crashes that killed hundreds of pilots, earning it the sobriquet 'The Flying Coffin'.

Squadron Leader MSD Wollen and Flight Lieutenant AK Mukherjee were the pilots in the first MiG 21 crash that occurred near Chandigarh