Fighter jet crashes in northwestern India, killing the pilot
August 2nd, 2011 - 10:25 pm ICT by BNO NewsBIKANER, INDIA (BNO NEWS) — An Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot was killed on Tuesday when his fighter jet crashed in northwestern India, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.
The accident happened soon after the MiG-21 fighter aircraft took off from Naal airfield in Bikaner district of Rajasthan state. The airfield is located about 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from Bikaner city, the capital of the district.
Defence spokesperson S D Goswami told PTI that the aircraft was on a routine sortie when it crashed near the airfield, killing the pilot. “The pilot ejected but died due to injuries sustained by him,” Goswami said.
Tuesday’s accident is the second crash of a MiG series fighter aircraft this year. In February, an IAF MiG-21 ‘Bison’ crashed in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district in central India, apparently due to an engine problem. The pilot ejected safely.
In November 2010, twelve people were killed when an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter crashed in the northwestern region of the country.
- IAF's MiG fighter crashes, pilot safe (Second Lead) - Feb 04, 2011
- Yet another MiG-21 crashes, pilot bails out - Oct 07, 2011
- MiG-21 crashes in Punjab, pilot safe - Sep 06, 2011
- Accident-prone MiG-21 to be flown only by experienced pilots: IAF - Sep 01, 2011
- IAF MiG-27 crashes in Rajasthan, pilot safe (Lead) - Nov 10, 2010
- IAF Mirage jet crashes, fleet grounded temporarily (Third Lead) - Mar 05, 2012
- New planes' induction will reduce air crashes: Antony - Feb 05, 2011
- IAF MiG crashes, pilot safe (Lead) - Feb 04, 2011
- MiG fighter crashes, no loss to life - Feb 04, 2011
- MiG 27 fighter jet crash near Jalpaiguri, pilot safe - Oct 23, 2009
- IAF loses another MiG-21, pilot safe (Second Lead) - Jun 15, 2010
- Indian Air Force MiG-21 crashes, pilot killed - Sep 10, 2009
- MiG 27 crashes in West Bengal, debris kills one (Third Lead) - Jul 24, 2010
- MiG fighter crashes in Punjab, pilot safe (Lead) - Jun 15, 2010
- IAF lost 40 planes, 16 pilots since 2008 - Feb 23, 2011
Tags: bison, bno, central india, defence spokesperson, fighter aircraft, fighter jet, goswami, helicopter, iaf, indian air force, jet crashes, kilometers, madhya pradesh, mig 21, northwestern india, northwestern region, pilot, press trust of india, pti, trust of india