3 civilians dead after Indian Air Force jet crashes, pilot escapes with minor injuries

Asia-Pacific May 8, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

Indian Air Force has reported yet another crash of its notorious Cold War-era MiG-21 fighter jet. The jet crashed on a house in India’s Rajasthan province on May 8, 2023, claiming the lives of three civilians on the ground. The pilot ejected in time to escape with minor injuries.

According to the statement released by the Indian Air Force, the jet was on a “routine operational training sortie.” The statement said that “the pilot experienced an onboard emergency, following which he attempted to recover the aircraft as per existing procedures. Having failed to do so, he initiated an ejection, sustaining minor injuries in the process.”

The plane took off from the Suratgarh Air Force Station in the Hunumangarh district of Rajasthan province. The pilot was recovered about 25 kilometers away from the initial takeoff site, indicating that the plane did not fly too far before the emergency occurred leading to its crash.

“The aircraft wreckage fell on a house in Bahlol Nagar in Hanumangarh District, unfortunately leading to the loss of three lives,” the statement added. Indian Air Force has not mentioned the cause of the crash, however, it said that an inquiry had been set up to ascertain the cause of the crash.

*^{Indian official remove wreckage from an Indian air force MiG-21 Bison aircraft after it crashed in August 24, 2015. (Image Credit: Reuters)}*

India has a notorious history of fatal military crashes owing to its aging fleet and lack of maintenance. The aging fleet of MiG-21, which was once the backbone of India’s air defense is now often dubbed as “flying coffins” due to their frequent crashes. First acquired by the Soviet Union in 1963, several variants of MiG-21 fighter jets were added to the Indian Air Force. India is one of the last few countries to still use the decades-old fighter jets, while its similar variants in several countries are only available in aviation museums.

In January 2023, two Indian Air Force fighter jets crashed after in a midair collision while on exercises. The collision involved a Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30, carrying two pilots, and a French-built Mirage 2000, operated by a third. One pilot was killed during the accident.

India’s former Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat was also killed during an air crash along with 13 other people in December 2021. A Russian-made M-17 helicopter crashed while transporting him to an air force base. While in another incident in October 2022, five army soldiers were killed when a helicopter crashed in Arunachal Pradesh state, near India’s militarized and disputed border with China.

India plans to retire all of its Soviet-era MiG-21 supersonic fighters by 2025 due to its high accident rate, according to sources in the country’s military. The delta-wing MiG-21s, which were inducted into the IAF in 1963, lack modern safety mechanisms.