IAF Jaguar plane crashes in UP's Kushinagar, pilot ejects safely

An Indian Air Force (IAF) Jaguar plane crashed in UP's Kushinagar - approximately 300 kilometres from the state capital of Lucknow - on Monday.

The Jaguar plane crashed into a farm and burst into flames immediately after taking off from the Gorakhpur air base on a training mission. The pilot managed to eject safely after steering the plane away from areas inhabited by people. IAF officials reached the site of the crash soon after and created a periphery around the burning plane to keep local villagers at a safe distance.

Uttar Pradesh: Visuals from Kushinagar where an Indian Air Force Jaguar fighter plane crashed today, the pilot managed to eject safely. A court of inquiry has been ordered to investigate the accident. pic.twitter.com/w5M6XND25I

— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019

The IAF later issued a statement which said a court of inquiry has been issued. "Today morning, a Jaguar aircraft while on a routine mission from Gorakhpur, crashed. The pilot ejected safely. A court of inquiry has been ordered to investigate the accident," read the statement.

This is the second Jaguar plane to have crashed in under a year with a similar incident occurring in June of last year. In that particular incident, a Jaguar plane took off from the Jamnagar airbase but crashed soon after. The pilot had managed to eject safely.

The twin-engine aircraft was first inducted into the Indian Air Force in 1979.