Pilot of crashed MIG 21 LanceR undergoes successful surgery

Squadron leader Andrei Criste, the pilot of an MIG 21 LanceR airplane that crashed in Mures County, underwent surgery on Wednesday at the Carol Davila Military Hospital in Bucharest, with the surgery reportedly going on well, without events or complications during or after surgery that would have endanger the life or physical integrity of the pilot. According to a press statement from the hospital, the man is examined daily by a multidisciplinary team. "Squadron leader Andrei Criste was operated on yesterday at the Operating Room of the Neurosurgery Department. The surgery went well, without events or complications before or after surgery that would have endangered the life or physical integrity of the pilot. The patient is conscious, cooperating, displaying time and space orientation oriented, stable hemodynamic and respiratory, being examined daily by a multidisciplinary team consisting of specialists in neurosurgery, thoracic surgery, intensive care anesthesia, laboratory medicine and medical imaging to establish treatment," reads the release. The pilot is also being given specialist psychological counselling and the medical team is in permanent contact with his family. On Tuesday, a MiG 21 LanceR aircraft from the 71st Cimpia Turzii Air Base piloted by squadron leader Andrei Criste, crashed near Dedrad, Mures County. The aircraft that crashed had taken off at around 14:00hrs from the air base at Cimpia Turzii for a training flight jointly with two other aircraft of the same type. During the performance of the mission, the pilot reported an emergency and ejected himself as the aircraft came crashing down in the area of Dedrad, Mures County, outside the inhabited areas. The other two aircraft returned to base safely around 15:00hrs, according to the Defence Ministry (MApN). Initially, the pilot was admitted at the Targu Mures County Emergency Clinical Hospital, where he was examined by a medical team who found that his life was not in danger and authorised the transfer of the patient to the Dr Carol Davila Hospital in Bucharest, for specialist treatment and recovery. AGERPRES (RO - author: Roberto Stan, editor: Florin Marin; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)