An SU-30MKI fighter jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in Nashik on Tuesday. The aircraft was recently overhauled by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and was on a test sortie from HAL Nashik at Sirsa gaon, a HAL official said.
“Both the pilots of HAL have ejected to safety. A technical snag was reported by the pilots. The exact reason will only be known after detailed investigation,” the official added.
The fighter jet was being flown by Wing Commander Bokil and his second in command Biswas when it crashed in a farm in Shirasgaon village in Nifad tehsil at 1.20 p.m.
Both the pilots ejected safely and have suffered minor injuries, another police official said. They were shifted to the HAL hospital.
After it crashed, the aircraft caught fire which was doused. The parts of the plane are now spread in a 500 metre radius, he said.
Teams of Indian Air Force, HAL security and HAL technical unit visited the spot.
Another police official said while the exact cause of the crash is yet to be ascertained, preliminary information points to technical factors.
The aircraft was undergoing flight testing post overhaul and was under HAL's inventory for overhaul and testing purposes, IAF sources said. After overhauling and testing, the aircraft are handed back to IAF for operations, the sources added.
The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is a two-seater, twinjet multirole air superiority fighter developed by Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi and built under licence by HAL for the Indian Air Force.
(with inputs from PTI)
Published - June 04, 2024 02:42 pm IST
