Another MiG-21 crashes; pilot ejects

Soon after the crash,an IAF rescue team on a Chetak helicopter flew to the accident site and rushed the pilot to a nearby military hospital,the officials said.

A court of inquiry has been ordered into the incident,they added. The sources said prime facie,it appears that the jet developed a technical snag soon after take-off.

This is the second mishap involving an IAF plane this year. On Tuesday,a MIG-27 fighter jet had crashed near Hashimara airbase,just a few kilometres away from Bagdogra,killing the pilot,Wing Commander Oswald.

Last year,the IAF had recorded 11 air mishaps,of which five involved MIG-21 aircraft. The MiG aircraft had earned the sobriquet of a “flying coffin” in the late 90s following a series of crashes. To prove its worth,the then Defence Minister George Fernandes had flown in the aircraft in 2003.