Another IAF fighter crashes in central India, pilot killed

Plane was on combat training mission, incident occurred during take off

MADHYA PRADESH:

According to the Indian Air Force (IAF), an MiG-21 Bison crashed in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh due to a possible technical glitch.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) confirmed that the pilot of the MiG-21, Captain A Gupta, was killed in the crash. As per the air force's tweet, the plane was on a combat training mission and the incident occurred during take off.

A MiG-21 Bison aircraft of IAF was involved in a fatal accident this morning, while taking off for a combat training mission at an airbase in central India.

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) March 17, 2021

The air force also offered condolences to the family of the deceased pilot and stated that a court of inquiry was ordered into the incident to find out the cause of the incident.

Read 'Flying coffins': Indian MiG-21 crashes in Kashmir

The IAF lost Group Captain A Gupta in the tragic accident. IAF expresses deep condolences and stands firmly with the family members. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause of the accident.

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) March 17, 2021

It may be recalled that in March 2019, an Indian Air Force MiG-27 fighter jet crashed in Jodhpur area of ​​Rajasthan during a normal flight.

This is not the first incident of an Indiam MiG fighter jet crashing. On September 2019, an IAF MiG-21 crashed near the Gwalior Air Force Base in Madhya Pradesh.

As per Indian media reports, the aircraft was on a routine training mission and both pilots - a group captain and a squadron leader - managed to eject safely. 

The incident was reported as the latest in an exhaustive series of IAF MiG-21 crashes.

In March, the same year, an MiG-21 crashed in Bikaner in Rajasthan during a routine mission. The pilot managed to eject successfully and the crash was put down to technical issues in the engine.

According to another Indian media report, more than 170 Indian pilots and 40 civilians have been killed in air crashes since 1970.