Jaipur: A MiG-21 Bison fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in Rajasthan's Barmer district on Wednesday during a training sortie. According to initial reports, the pilot of the aircraft was safe.
IAF spokesman Amitabh Sharma informed that the pilot safely 'injected' himself from the plane after the accident.
According to Barmer Superintendent of Police Anand Sharma, the plane crashed near Bhuratia village and no casualties were reported in the accident and. Police reached the spot soon after the incident was reported.
"The MiG-21 bison aircraft, which flew for training in the western sector at around 5.30 pm this evening, developed a technical snag after take-off," the Air Force said.
A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the reasons.
As per the information, the IAF plane came crashing down near Matasar Bhoortiya village, leaving the impact spot and the area around it devastated.
The villagers, as well as a police team, rushed to the spot to offer help.
In a similar incident that took place in May this year, another MiG-21 Bison fighter jet crashed in an open area at Langeana Nawan village in Punjab's Moga district. However, the incident led to the death of its 28-year-old pilot.
The aircraft was on a routine training sortie when the mishap took place near Langeana Kalan village, some 24 km from district headquarters.
According to officials, the pilot was returning to the Suratgarh airbase in Rajasthan after the training sorties. The body of the pilot was found some 2 km from the crash spot.