A MiG-21 Bison aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) met with a fatal accident on Wednesday morning. The shocking incident took place when the aircraft was taking off for a combat training mission at an airbase in central India. The pilot Captain A. Gupta was killed in the accident.
“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,” the air force said in a tweet.
Check out the tweet here:
A court of inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause of the accident, the Indian Air Force said in a statement.
The incident comes two months after a MiG-21 fighter jet of the IAF crashed near Suratgarh in Rajasthan. The said incident took place during a training sortie. The jet crashed due to a technical malfunction. But the pilot managed to eject safely.
The Indian Air Force has lost 27 aircraft, including 15 fighter jets and helicopters, in crashes since 2016. Between 2016-17, six IAF fighter jets, two helicopters, one transport aircraft and one trainer crashed. In 2017-18, two fighter jets and one trainer aircraft in crashes. In 2018-19 the IAF has lost seven fighter jets, two helicopters and two trainers.
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