Rajasthan: Two pilots killed in IAF fighter plane crash

A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident,” the IAF said in a tweet.

At 9:10 pm this evening, an IAF MiG 21 trainer aircraft met with an accident in the western sector during a training sortie.
Both pilots sustained fatal injuries.

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

The twin-seater MiG 21 trainer aircraft was airborne for a training sortie from Barmer’s Utarlai air base on Thursday evening.

Earlier, the Rajasthan police had said the impact of the crash was such that they could not make out how many people were in the plane.

Barmer Deputy SP Jaggu Ram, who had reached the spot, said locals informed the police about the crash around 9 pm. “Locals reported a fireball crashing into the ground, killing the pilots. The impact was such that from the remains, we can’t tell whether there were two pilots or one. The debris is spread over a kilometre,” Ram said.

The aircraft crashed in Isramon ka Tala village under Baytu police station limits. The village is about 37 kilometres north of district headquarters.

Rajasthan: Two pilots killed in IAF fighter plane MiG-21 crash in Barmer district https://t.co/sw62WowUd2 pic.twitter.com/BtQWozA4K2

— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) July 28, 2022

“Locals have gathered. We are trying to control the crowd. The SHO of Baytu police station and others have reached the spot,” the Deputy SP said.

No loss of life among locals was reported, as per the Deputy SP. Locals shared several videos of the burning remains of the aircraft — in one of the videos, a local is heard saying that the impact left a crater about 15 feet deep.

Deeply saddened to know two IAF pilots have lost their lives in the line of duty when an IAF MiG 21 trainer aircraft met with an accident in Barmer. My heartfelt condolences to bereaved families. May they remain strong to bear this loss. We stand with them and share their grief.

— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) July 28, 2022

Union minister and Lok Sabha MP from Barmer, Kailash Choudhary, said, “The news of two pilots being burnt alive in a plane crash in Bhimda of Barmer parliamentary constituency is very sad. The nation has lost its two sons today. In this regard, the district administration has been directed to control the fire on the spot.”