Details : | Flight Lieutenant Arun Devap Nayak was authorised to carry out an instructional sortie with a pupil officer on 9th November 1974 in a trainer aircraft. At about 6300 ft above mean sea level, severe vibrations were felt. Flight Lieutenant Nayak immediately took over controls. He throttled back the engine and put the aircraft into a glide. At that instant the propellor flew off. During the process of gliding he reassessed the situation and taking into consideration the strong head winds realised that he would not be able to make the runway. He selected a field near the airfield and carried out a smooth and normal landing, without any further damage to the aircraft or injury to its occupants. It was due to his skillful approach in such a potentially dangerous situation that he was able to prevent a major mishap. In this action, Flight Lieutenant Arun Devap Nayak displayed courage, professional skill and devotion to duty of a high order. |