Rajasthan: 2 Pilots Dead As IAF's MiG-21 Fighter Jet Crashes In Barmer, Inquiry Ordered

MiG-21 Fighter Jet Crash: Further details regarding the pilots are awaited.

The IAF plane that crashed near Bhimda village in Baytoo. (Image: Twitter/@ANI)

A MiG-21 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed near Barmer district in Rajasthan on Thursday evening. According to sources close to ABP News, both the pilots have lost their lives in the mishap. "It was an IAF plane that crashed near Bhimda village in Baytoo," Barmer District Collector Lok Bandu told PTI. A Russian-designed jet, the MiG-21 has been the most accident-prone of all IAF fighter jets.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on the incident in Barmer. The IAF chief briefed him on the incident in detail, ANI reported.

Breaking:राजस्थान के बाड़मेर के भिमडा गांव में क्रैश हुआ मिग-21 @akhileshanandd @manishs76884024https://t.co/p8nVQWGCTx#Rajasthan #Barmer #MIGPlaneCrash pic.twitter.com/FBB4tyDXSZ

— ABP News (@ABPNews) July 28, 2022

Responding to the incident, Indian Air Force took to Twitter and informed that at 9:10 pm this evening, an IAF MiG 21 trainer aircraft met with an accident in the western sector during a training sortie. Initially, IAF said that both pilots sustained fatal injuries. However, in another tweet, the Air Force, too, confirmed the demise of both the pilots.

"IAF deeply regrets the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident," it said.

IAF deeply regrets the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families.
A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) July 28, 2022

In 2021, five MiG-21s had crashed in India, resulting in the death of three pilots. In December last year, an IAF pilot, Wing Commander Harshit Sinha, died after the MiG-21 fighter jet crashed in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer during a training sortie.

In August, another MiG-21 fighter jet, on a training sortie, crashed near a village in Rajasthan's Barmer district. However, the pilot managed to eject safely.

A similar incident in May that year near Moga in Punjab killed the pilot. The IAF aircraft was on a routine training sortie when the accident happened.

In March, a Group Captain of the IAF was killed in an accident involving a MiG-21 aircraft at an airbase in central India. Group Captain A Gupta was killed in the accident.

In January, a MiG-21 aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed near Suratgarh in Rajasthan. The pilot of the aircraft managed to eject safely from the aircraft.