A MiG-27 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force crashed in Jodhpur’s Dangiwas during a routine mission on Tuesday. The pilot ejected to safety at a farm at Jaleli-Faujdar village.
The Russian-made single-seater tactical strike fighter crashed within minutes of taking off from the Jodhpur airbase. The pilot was taken to a hospital in an IAF helicopter.
Eyewitnesses said that they saw two fighter jets flying together, but one of them suddenly took a turn towards the open field and crashed near Dangiwas village.
“We believe the pilot turned the aircraft towards the field in order to avoid the crash in a populated area,” he said.
Another eyewitness, Omprakash, said that he saw smoke emanating from the aircraft before it crashed.
“A MiG 27 aircraft airborne from Jodhpur crashed during a routine mission on Tuesday morning. Pilot ejected safely. A Court of Inquiry will investigate the cause of the accident,” defence spokesperson Colonel Sombit Ghosh said.
Jodhpur Deputy Commissioner Amandeep Singh said no loss of life had been reported in the crash. Singh and other police officials reached the spot and cordoned off the area. With PTI inputs