Debris of the IAF Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft that crashed while on a routine training sortie in Barmer district of Rajasthan on Wednesday. Both the pilots ejected safely. photos: PTI

Tribune News Service

Jaipur/New Delhi, March 15

Three persons were injured when an Indian Air Force Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jet on a routine sortie crashed into a field at Devaniyon ki Dhani, 10 km from Barmer’s Sadar police station, around 2 pm today. Two pilots on board the aircraft escaped unhurt.The three injured villagers — Naranaram, 60, his wife Dallu, 58, and son Hanuman, 40 — were taken to the Barmer District Hospital where their condition was stated to be serious, a police officer said.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Both pilots ejected safely after the Sukhoi developed a technical snag, Defence Public Relations Officer Lt Col Manish Ojha said. The IAF has ordered a Court of Inquiry into the incident.The aircraft had taken off from the Uttarlai airbase in Barmer. As the aircraft hit the ground, some of its flying parts hit the three villagers. The crashing jet created a crater in the sand and also damaged some thatched houses. The seventh crash of the frontline fighter jet since April 2009 has rekindled the debate of upgrading the aircraft originally purchased from Russia and subsequently licence-produced at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) facility in India.On Russia’s recommendation, 400 engines of the twin-engine aircraft have undergone modification at HAL’s Sukhoi engine plant in Orissa. The Su-30 MKI is a twin-engine aircraft and can land even if one of its engines fails mid-air. But this limits the pilot’s ability to attack or withdraw during conflict.

Chetak crashes in UP; no one hurt

• Allahabad: An IAF Chetak helicopter on a routine training sortie crashed near here on Wednesday. The helicopter had taken off from the Bamrauli airbase when it developed a snag and toppled as the pilots tried to land it in a field. The pilots are safe. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered. PTI