Flight Lieutenant Ajit Kumar Manohar Raje is serving with an Operational Squadron. On the night of the 11th January, 1971, he was detailed to carry out a practice interception flight. Towards the end of the flight, he suddenly experienced a total failure of all his pressure instruments and as such no information about his altitude, air speed and rate of climb or descent was available. He then found that his artificial horizon and radio altimeter were also not working. At this critical moment, he was faced with the choice of either abandoning the aircraft or carrying out a landing. Inspite of the failure of vital instruments, he chose the latter course in order to save the aircraft. With consummate skill he succeeded in making a safe landing.