New Delhi, Dec 04: As many as 14 air crashes involving defence aircraft occurred this year, claiming the lives of eight crew members and seven civilians, Defence Minister George Fernandes informed Lok Sabha today. The fighter planes involved in the crashes were four MIG-21s, two MIG-23s, two Jaguars, one Sea Harrier, one Kiran and one HPT-32, while helicopters involved were one Seaking, one Chetah and one Chetak, he said in reply to a written question.

While four crashes occurred due to human error, six were caused by technical defects. The cause of the remaining accidents were not yet finalised, he said. Bureau Report