Lt Abhinav Nagori

Lt Abhinav Nagori hailed from Udaipur in Rajasthan. Son of Shri Dharamchand Nagori and Smt Sushila Devi, Lt Abhinav had two sisters Shweta and Smita as his siblings. He did his schooling at St. Paul's School, Udaipur, and later on, went to study engineeering. He completed his engineering in electronics from SJB Institute of Technology in Bengaluru and passed out in 2008. After completion of engineering, he received many job offers but he dropped all of them and opted to join the Navy, his first love. Lt Nagori was commissioned in the Navy on July 25, 2012, after having spent six months in INA and completing a year of pilot training in the Air Force Academy Dundigul. He became the first person in his family to be commissioned as an officer in the Navy.

Lt Abhinav was an avid swimmer and a nature lover, so much so that he would treat the plants as his kids. Lt Abhinav was also fond of cooking since his childhood and spent his spare time trying out various recipes. Besides cooking, swimming and cycling, Lt  Abhinav loved music too and had a violin, which he played at times in the house. 

Indian Navy Dornier Crash: 24th March 2015

During Mar 2015, Lt Abhinav Nagori was serving with Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 310, a maritime reconnaissance squadron of the Indian Navy based at Goa. It was one of the most decorated naval air squadrons, with a distinguished history. Initially equipped with French Breguet Br. 1050 Alizé aircraft, the squadron later operated German-origin Dornier Do-228 aircraft from INS Hansa, in Dabolim, Goa. The Dornier Do-228 aircraft inducted in 1991 in the squadron was configured for Maritime Patrol (MP) and Electronic warfare roles. At the time of their induction, the aircraft were fitted with MEL Super Marec 360º Search radar, sonobuoys, AES 210 ESM, and direction-finding systems. Subsequently, HAL's modifications to the airframe included four underwing hardpoints, to accommodate additional external payload including wing-mounted 7.62mm gun pods. In 1998, GPS units and new ELINT equipment were installed resulting in a major capability upgrade for the squadron’s Dorniers. During Op Vijay, from May to July 1999, the "Cobras"  carried out MR/ELINT missions in close coordination with the Army and the Air Force. This was the first time the Dornier was deployed as an EW platform in support of the Army and the Air Force for integrated ELINT operations. The Cobras also played a vital part in the 2001-2002 India-Pakistan stand-off following the Indian Parliament attack by the suspected terrorists on Dec 13, 2001. Deploying at the commencement of 'Op Parakram' in January 2002, the squadron, with aircraft painted in a low visibility grey color scheme, was detached to Naliya to carry out more ELINT operations. On 24 Mar 2015, the squadron undertook one more such mission with Commander Nikhil Joshi, co-pilot Lt Abhinav Nagori, and Lt Kiran Shekhawat, as an observer. Lt  Nagori was operating in a combat role as a pilot flying over the ocean for tracking and engaging hostile ships violating the country’s maritime boundaries.

The aicrew completed the operational ground checks and the aircraft took off from Goa as planned on 24 Mar 2015. It was a night sortie and was uneventful in the initial part of the mission. At about 10 pm the Dornier aircraft transmitted the message to the Air Traffic Control - "Ops Normal". But as the Dornier was trying to gain height after flying as low as 50 feet, a crucial part of the exercise, it disappeared from the screen of the Naval Air Traffic Controller on duty at that time at the Goa airport. The Naval ATC alerted the air traffic control at the Mumbai, Mangalore, and Trivandrum airports to see if they could trace the plane. Within 40 minutes, the first ship and helicopters of the Indian Navy left the Goa harbour to search for the missing Dornier. Eventually, it was confirmed that the aircraft had crashed about 25nm off the coast of Goa at about 22:08 hours. The body of Lt Abhinav Nagori and that of Lt Kiran Shekhawat were recovered two days after the crash, while the pilot Commander Nikhil Joshi was rescued by a fisherman. The wreckage of the Dornier was found about 60 m under the sea at the south-west of Goa coast. The body of Lt Abhinav Nagori was found inside the fuselage of the aircraft. Lt Abhinav Nagori was a brave soldier and a commited officer, who laid down his life at the age of 24 years in lin of his duty.

Lt Abhinav Nagori is survived by his father Shri Dharamchand Nagori and mother Smt Sushila Devi.

Tributes By Lt Abhinav Nagori’s friends :

• “Lt Abhinav Nagori was a friend I will miss terribly. He was one soul I could call anytime for any help. He was a very cheerful guy, who could fix your mood anytime,” recalled one of his coursemates, now working with the Indian Air Force (IAF).
• He had an officer-like thinking all the way according to his course mate now with the IAF, Lt Abhinav always approached the challenges wearing an officer’s cap much before he was commissioned. “When given any task he would make a face and act like he could never do it. But, he surprised his seniors with solutions far superior than them. He always had an innovative approach towards life,” recalled one of his friends, who had flying training together. Lt Nagori’s dream was to get married to a good girl and get his parents with him to live happily. “He missed his parents a lot,” his friend added.
• At AFA Hyderabad, once Lt Abhinav willingly lied to his seniors so that he could take all the punishment on behalf of his colleagues. “We were getting picked for the incomplete Blue Books and Lt Nagori lied to an officer that it was his instruction to complete them on the next date. He took all punishments with a smile,” said his friend.
• Himanshu Jain from Delhi, a room-mate of Lt Nagori said his pilot friend was an exceptionally-talented student who would never say no to any challenging circumstances thrown at him. “He never shied away from dreaming big; he was always certain of what he wanted to achieve and that kept him motivated 24×7. He aspired to be an engineer who would be known for his innovations and contribution to society. He never craved for offer letters from big MNCs, like most of us did. He would make robots by himself, learn the guitar without any tutor and cook his own food,” recalled Himanshu, now working in an MNC. According to Himanshu, Lt Nagori would often give wake-up calls to all his friends in the hostel by playing his guitar. “It was very annoying to wake up so early, but his soulful and musical way of waking us up helped a lot, or else we would have missed many classes,” said Himanshu.
• Lt Nagori did his engineering from SJB Institute of Technology in Bengaluru and he was from the 2008 batch. His friends say that the moment he got an opportunity to join the Indian Navy, he was confident that his moment of reckoning had come. “He was in love with the Navy. Last time I had a chat with him, he told me about his new bicycle and his squash sessions. He also told me that he has completely turned out to be a fitness freak,” said Himanshu. “I will miss him all through my life. May his soul, rest in peace. Someday, I am sure to catch up with him on the other side of the fence,” he added.
• He always had a dream of serving the nation Chandan Nagraj, now working with an MNC in Bengaluru, says that Lt Nagori used to mingle with people very easily. “He was a sensible person and knew how to behave according to the situation. The unforgettable moment for him and to all of us was him clearing the SSC and getting selected for the Indian Navy,” said Chandan, one of his close friends.
• Lt Nagori was fond of music and often tried to experiment some innovative numbers on his guitar. Lt Abhinav Nagori loved biking “One day he took me to his flat and introduced me to his parents via Skype. He told his parents that I was a very close friend, and a local chap who always helped him. He was good at sports, very adventurous and had a dream of serving the nation. He will stay in our hearts forever,” recalled Chandan Anshul Saxena, now working as a civil engineer in Bengaluru, was junior to Lt Abhinav, but recalls about a conversation he had before the tragic accident. “On March 25 afternoon we had a chat over the phone and he wanted us to be there in Goa. We were all planning to be with him during the first week of April. I am shattered now,” said Anshul.
•  “He was a very jovial guy. I remember when the Indian Navy officials came to our campus for recruitment. He was sure that he would make it and indeed he cleared all the rounds. He was very passionate about Indian defence,” said Siddarth, hailing from Delhi and preparing for the Civil Services exams.