IAF MiG-29 Aircraft Crashes in Punjab, Pilot Ejects Safely

A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of accident, the Air Force said in a statement.

(Photo: ANI)

An Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-29 fighter aircraft crashed on Friday, 8 May, close to Punjab's Nawanshahr, with the pilot managing to eject safely.

The IAF, in a statement, said, "the aircraft had developed a technical snag and the pilot ejected safely as he was unable to control the aircraft."

"The pilot has been rescued by a helicopter. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of accident," it said.

“On 8 May, at 10:45 a.m., one MiG-29 aircraft airborne on a training mission from an Air Force base near Jalandhar met with an accident,” the IAF said in a statement, according to IANS.

The incident was not an abrasion.

MiG-29 is a Soviet-era fast interceptor that was seen in the Kargil war in 1999. It has also been utilised to escort other jets on bombing missions from enemy fighter jets or incoming "bandits.”

On 30 April, an IAF aircraft experienced a tyre deflation just before take-off at Delhi's Palam airbase. The Dornier aircraft was planned to undertake a routine flight from the Palam Air Base.

(The story will be updated with more details)