IAF’s Mirage-2000 pilot dead in crash; two Sukhoi-30 pilots eject safely
A Sukhoi-30MKI and a Mirage-2000 aircraft of the Indian Air Force or IAF crashed in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district, in an apparent mid-air collision, following an accident near Gwalior during a routine training mission on Saturday, killing a pilot.
Top updates on Sukhoi and Mirage-2000 jets crash:
1. Officials said the two pilots of the Sukhoi-30MKI aircraft ejected safely, while the pilot of the Mirage-2000 lost his life, news agency PTI reported.
2. “Two fighter aircraft of IAF were involved in an accident near Gwalior today morning,” the IAF said in a statement. It said the aircraft were on a routine operational flying training mission. “One of the three pilots involved, sustained fatal injuries. An inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause of the accident,” the IAF said.
3. Defence ministry sources said defence minister Rajnath Singh was briefed by Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on the crash of two IAF aircraft. Singh is monitoring the developments closely, the sources said.
4. Morena district collector Ankit Asthana said debris of both aircraft fell in the Pahargarh area of the district. Some debris also fell in the Bharatpur area in Rajasthan, which borders Madhya Pradesh, PTI added.
5. The two fighter jets had flown from the Gwalior airport, which also serves as an IAF base, the official said.
6. Body parts of one pilot were found in the Pahargarh area.
7. Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in a tweet said, “The news of the crash of Sukhoi-30 and Mirage-2000 aircraft of the Air Force near Kolaras in Morena is very sad. I have instructed the local administration to cooperate with the Air Force in quick rescue and relief work. I pray to God that the pilots of the planes are safe,” he said.
8. The IAF also clarified that there was no chopper accident. “Since there are many news reports mentioning accident of an Indian Army helicopter, we wish to clarify that all Indian Army Aviation assets are safe. Please make suitable amendments to your news reports,” it said.
9. The crash is the latest in a string of aviation accidents involving India’s military air fleet. Five army soldiers were killed last October when their helicopter crashed in Arunachal Pradesh state, near the country’s militarised and disputed border with China.
10. Chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat, was among 13 people killed when his Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter crashed while transporting him to an air force base in December 2021.