National Desk, 1 June: An Indian Air Force (IAF) trainer aircraft went down during a routine sortie in an open field on Thursday near Chamarajanagar of Karnataka.
Two pilots who were on board reportedly ejected successfully before the collision however, they did so with only minor injuries.
In a statement, the air force stated, “Today, an Indian Air Force Kiran trainer aircraft crashed near Chamrajnagar, Karnataka, while on a normal training sortie. Both air crew members safely evacuated. The investigation on the accident’s cause has been ordered.
Earlier in January, one pilot was killed when two Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets, a Sukhoi Su-30 and a Mirage 2000 collided at Morena of Madhya Pradesh during a training exercise.
The other plane crashed and landed in Bharatpur, Rajasthan while the first one went down in Morena.
“The possible mid-air collision between the two aircrafts took place when they were flying a simulated combat mission at very high speeds. More details would come out in the court of inquiry,” Defence sources said.
According to defence sources, the Sukhoi had two pilots while the Mirage only had one. The Indian Air Force (IAF) use both planes in combat. The Sukhoi’s two pilots were able to escape the aircraft and were flown by helicopter to the hospital. The incidence has been reported to the pilot of the Mirage’s family, who lost their loved one.