MiG-21 crashes, pilot ejects

A MiG-21 Bison aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed in Barmer Wednesday during a training sortie, with the pilot ejecting safely, officials said.

IAF tweeted: “At around 1730 hrs today, an IAF MiG-21 Bison aircraft airborne for a training sortie in the western sector, experienced a technical malfunction after take-off. The pilot ejected safely.” The IAF said a Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the crash.

Barmer SP Anand Sharma said the aircraft crashed in Bhurtiya village under the district’s Nagana police station limits. In a video of the crashed aircraft, dark smoke can be seen billowing from the site. “As the aircraft crashed, the sparks also reached a hut, setting it afire. There was no person, livestock or material inside,” the SP said.