Service No : 29875 F(P)

Date of Birth : July 17, 1986

Place of birth : Ghaziabad,, (UP)

Last Rank : Squadron Leader

Arm/Regt : Indian Air Force

Martyrdom : February 1, 2019

Sqn Ldr Samir Abrol

Squadron Leader Samir Abrol, born on 17 July 1986 hailed from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. Son of Shri Sanjeev Abrol and Smt Sushma Abrol, Sqn Ldr Samir Abrol came from a business family, but he had a dream to join the armed forces right from his childhood. After completing his schooling from Ryan International School Ghaziabad, he pursued his dream and joined the prestigious NDA. He got selected for the IAF in the flying branch and was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in the fighter stream on 21 June 2008. Sqn Ldr Samir Abrol was a trained fighter pilot of the IAF having more than 3500 hours of flying to his credit. He had the experience of flying several aircraft such as Sukhoi-30, Tejas, Hawks, and Jaguars, but the Mirage 2000 was special to him. Before being posted to the Bangalore-based elite Air Force unit, Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), he had served in various front-line Air Force bases operating different types of fighter aircraft.

 

After gaining expertise in flying various types of fighter aircraft Sqn Ldr Samir Abrol got selected as a test pilot and was posted to the IAF’s premier Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE). The ASTE  is one of the few institutions in the world which evaluates aircraft and systems for induction into user organization(IAF) and has on its strength the pilots, who have the best flying skills and are capable of flying high-risk certification missions. Sqn Ldr Samir Abrol was one such pilot serving with the ASTE and was engaged in carrying out various acceptance trial sorties for aircraft produced/upgraded by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited(HAL).

 

Sqn Ldr Samir Abrol was a voracious reader and an avid biker too. A member of the Indian Bull Riders Motorcycle Club of Bangalore, Sqn Ldr Samir Abrol, was a fitness enthusiast and loved cycling and physical exercises. Sqn Ldr Samir Abrol got married to Ms. Garima, a physiotherapist and a fitness instructor from Punjab in May 2015.

 

Mirage 2000 Aircraft Crash: 01 Feb 2019 

 

During 2018-19, Sqn Ldr Samir Abrol was serving with ASTE as a test pilot and was conducting certification missions on a regular basis. The missions were essentially undertaken to check the functioning of the systems/sub-systems for their conformity to the standards accepted by the IAF. On the 01st of February 2019, Sqn Ldr Samir Abrol and Sqn Ldr Siddarth Negi were tasked for one such acceptance trial sortie on an upgraded Mirage 2000 trainer aircraft. This aircraft had already been flown six times by the test pilots at HAL and it was the second customer(IAF) sortie. Sqn Ldr Samir Abrol and Sqn Ldr Siddarth Negi were experienced pilots and knew their tasks well. After the necessary flying briefing, both pilots took off as planned.

 

However, during the takeoff roll, there was an uncontrollable technical snag and the aircraft hit the arrest barrier at the end of the runway and dragged it. Sqn Ldr Samir Abrol and Sqn Ldr Siddarth Negi were forced to eject but it was too late. The parachutes got deployed but both the pilots sustained serious injuries as they fell near to the burning wreckage of the aircraft. Sqn Ldr Samir Abrol and Sqn Ldr Siddarth Negi later succumbed to their injuries and the IAF lost two valiant and committed air warriors in a tragic manner. Sqn Ldr Samir Abrol was a dedicated soldier and a professional competent air warrior who laid down his life in the service of the nation.

 

Sqn Ldr Samir Abrol is survived by his father Shri Sanjeev Abrol, mother Smt Sushma Abrol, wife Smt Garima Abrol and brother Shri Sushant Abrol. Later carrying forward the legacy of her husband, Garima Abrol joined the Indian Air Force and was commissioned as a Flying Officer in Dec 2020.

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24 Comments
  • Satul sharma

    2022 at 7:10 am Reply

    A big salute to sky boy , we always them as motivation for us and for our children..

  • Anup Aggarwal

    2023 at 7:42 am Reply

    Hats off to your commitment bro , our prayers forever with the family …blue skies forever

  • Takshashila shekhawat

    2023 at 9:27 am Reply

    New equipments may be bought, new pilots may be trained, but You can’t be replaced.
    Happy birthday hero

  • Divyansh Anand

    2023 at 1:09 am Reply

    Govt should retire MIG 2000 . it has taken away many precious beings from us

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