A MiG-21 Lancer of the Romanian Air Force from the 86th Air Base disappeared from radar on March 2nd at 20:03 local time while on an air patrol mission over Dobrogea. At 19:50 local time, the plane took off from Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base 57. The pilot’s and aircraft’s conditions remain unknown. A loud blast was reported, according to witnesses in the Cogealac region.
The IAR 330 helicopter that had been dispatched to find the MiG-21 had likewise vanished from radar.
The IAR 330-Puma helicopter, which took off on a search-and-rescue mission for the Mig 21 Lancer around 8:21 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2, lost contact with the control tower and vanished from radar around 8:44 p.m. The pilot had reported bad weather and had been instructed to return to base.
The helicopter’s last known location, which had a crew of five troops on board, is in the Gura Dobrogei area, roughly 11 kilo meters from the airfield. It has been confirmed that five (5) crew members of the IAR 330 were found after another search and rescue mission was launched and they have been found dead. Two Romanian Naval Forces rescuers had also boarded the flight, in addition to the five crew members who had been immediately notified and the two rescuers were also found dead.
It has also been confirmed by the the Ministry of Defense that the Mig-21 pilot is dead and the wreck was found.
