New Delhi: An Indian Air Force pilot, Wing Commander Harshit Sinha, died on Friday after the MiG-21 fighter aircraft he was flying crashed near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
Reports said the MiG-21 crash took place in the Desert National Park area under the Sam police station, Jaisalmer SP Ajay Singh told PTI.
"This evening, around 8:30 pm, a MiG-21 aircraft of IAF met with a flying accident in the western sector during a training sortie. An inquiry is being ordered," the Indian Air Force tweeted.
"With deep sorrow, IAF conveys the sad demise of Wing Commander Harshit Sinha in the flying accident this evening and stands firmly with the family of the braveheart," IAF said.
READ | List Of Deadly Military Plane Crashes In India In Recent Years
The incident comes weeks after former Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, Brigadier Lakhwinder Singh Lidder and 11 others died in an IAF helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu. The Indian Air Force Mi-17V-5 helicopter crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu shortly after it took off from Sulur Air Base in Coimbatore.
Recently, the Central government informed Parliament that seven IAF aircraft had crashed in the last two years.
"A total of seven aircraft of Air Force have crashed in the last two years, including the Mirage 2000 which crashed recently in Madhya Pradesh," Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said in the Lok Sabha.
The government also said that 31 people were killed since March 2017 in 15 military helicopter accidents. Seven helicopters each from the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force were involved in accidents during the period, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt told the Lok Sabha.
The 15 helicopters that met with accidents included four Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), four Cheetah, two ALH (weapon system integrated) versions, three Mi-17V5, an Mi-17 and a Chetak.