Safe recovery of a fighter jet despite having sustained critical injuries on the face after a canopy burst while cruising at near supersonic speed at an altitude of 10.5 Kms, has earned Flight Lieutenant Manish Arora, a Shaurya Chakra, for his act of conspicuous courage. The incident happened on February 4, 2010 in a fighter base in the eastern sector.
Flt Lt Arora bore excruciating pain in the right ear even as his mask was flooded with blood. Wind blast severely restricted his mobility and frontal cockpit visibility affected by blood stains made his recovery difficult. Despite feeling faint and weak, Flt Lt Arora displayed grit, fortitude and professionalism and landed the aircraft flawlessly under extremely challenging conditions.
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