Bal's family members expressed regret saying he died while flying an "ailing" aircraft" instead of "fighting enemies". They urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to immediately retire the entire fleet of ageing MiG-21 jets so that no more lives are lost. IAF MiG-21 Crash: Fighter Pilot Advitiya Bal Cremated with Full Military Honours in Jammu and Kashmir's RS Pura.