An Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG 21 fighter jet crashed in the Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan, leading to the deaths of two civilians on the ground. The aircraft’s pilot, though, is secure.
According to the Indian media, the pilot of the aircraft reported a technical issue shortly after takeoff from the Suratgarh Air Force station. Two women were reported dead following the MiG-21’s collision with a residence.
“A MiG-21 aircraft of the IAF crashed near Suratgarh during a routine training sortie today morning. The pilot ejected safely, sustaining minor injuries. An inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident”, the IAF said in a statement.
A MiG-21 aircraft of the IAF crashed near Suratgarh during a routine training sortie today morning. The pilot ejected safely, sustaining minor injuries.
An inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident.— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) May 8, 2023
In July 2022, two pilots were killed when a MiG-21 crashed in a training sortie in Rajasthan. That crash was the sixth MiG-21 aircraft to have gone down since January 2021, with five pilots killed.
Russian-made MiG-21 jets first entered Indian service in the 1960s and for decades served as the backbone of the country’s air force.
Numerous crashes in the past few decades, however, have led to the planes being dubbed “flying coffins” because of their poor safety record.
Today’s incident too came days after an Indian Army helicopter with two pilots and a technician crashed in a forest area of Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir.
