Samir Abrol

Biography

Born on 17 July 1986 in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, Samir Abrol came from a business family but dreamt from childhood of joining the armed forces. After completing his schooling at Ryan International School, Ghaziabad, he joined the prestigious National Defence Academy. Selected for the flying branch of the Indian Air Force, he was commissioned into the fighter stream on 21 June 2008. A trained fighter pilot with over 3,500 flying hours, he flew aircraft including the Sukhoi-30, Tejas, Hawk and Jaguar, though the Mirage 2000 held a special place for him. Having gained expertise across various front-line fighter platforms, he was chosen as a test pilot and posted to the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) in Bengaluru, one of the few institutions in the world evaluating aircraft and systems for induction, and he flew acceptance test sorties for aircraft produced and upgraded by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. On 1 February 2019, he and Squadron Leader Siddharth Negi were tasked with an acceptance test flight on an upgraded Mirage 2000 trainer. During the take-off roll an uncontrollable technical malfunction occurred; the aircraft struck the arrestor barrier and both pilots ejected, but too late. Both were gravely injured near the burning wreckage and later succumbed to their injuries.