'Flying coffin': Another IAF MiG-21 fighter crashes in Rajasthan

Another MiG-21 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed Friday evening in the Indian state of Rajasthan, the fifth crash involving the Bison in 2021.

Hindustan Times, quoting senior police officials, in its report said that the incident occurred near Rajasthan's Jaisalmer city, adding that the exact location of the crash has not been revealed yet.

Jaisalmer SP Ajay Singh said that the plane crashed in the Desert National Park area, saying that local police have reached the spot.

Read more: Another IAF fighter crashes in central India, pilot killed

Confirming the news, the official handle of the Indian Air Force tweeted, saying: "This evening, around 8:30 pm, a MiG-21 aircraft of IAF met with a flying accident in the western sector during a training sortie. Further details are awaited. An inquiry is being ordered."

The report said that several MiG-21 crashes have been reported this year alone. "The aircraft has been dubbed 'flying coffin' as it makes news regularly for crashes," it added.

From 1971 to April 2012, as many as 482 MiG aircraft have met with accidents, killing 171 pilots, 39 civilians, eight service personnel, and one aircrew, the Indian government had told parliament in May 2012.

Also read: 'Flying coffins': Indian MiG-21 crashes in Kashmir

"The causes of accidents were both human error and technical defects," the government had claimed.

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

In September 2019, another IAF MiG-21 crashed near the Gwalior Air Force Base in Madhya Pradesh.

In March, the same year, one more 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.