Firing a Sidewinder from a dive at very low altitude, Alam was not surprised to see it go into the ground. The best way of launching the early model Sidewinders at such altitudes was to get below the target and fire with a cooler sky for a background, thus easing the missile seeker's heat discrimination problem. However, with the Hunters skimming the treetops, going any lower was out of question. The predicament was soon resolved when the Hunters pulled up to clear a stretch of high-tension cables. In good range, dead line astern and hearing a loud 'growl' that signalled a positive heat source, Alam couldn't have asked for better firing conditions. He let go his second Sidewinder, but didn't see it hit directly. With an apparent proximity detonation, the missile warhead had dangerously ruptured the Hunter's fuel lines. Jog's formation members heard desperate messages of illuminated warning lights and engine rough-running from the stricken pilot. Overshooting the crippled Hunter, Alam noticed with amazement that its canopy was missing and there was no pilot inside. With other Hunters as well as his own wingman to keep an eye on, Alam had obviously missed the ejection sequence. Looking around, he noticed the pilot coming down by parachute. Bhatti, who was watching from a distance, recalls, "While Alam was chasing, I continued to look-out for other Hunters as I hadn't yet given up the prospects of achieving a kill. We were just short of the river when a flash in the sky caught my eye and I observed an aircraft go down in flames. I learnt later that the pilot had ejected shortly before the aircraft hit the ground."