Allahabad: An Indian Air Force Jaguar trainer aircraft crashed while on a training sortie nearly 13 kms south-east of Allahabad on Tuesday.
The pilots reportedly managed to eject safely before the aircraft crashed at 8:47 am and a search operation is underway to locate them.
Sitanshu Kar, principal spokesperson, Ministry of Defence, took to Twitter to confirm that the crash took place.
One #IAF #Jaguar trainer a/c crashed at 0847 Hr SE of Allahabad. Both pilots ejected safely. CoI ordered.(File Pic.) pic.twitter.com/nZ845UrZt5
— Sitanshu Kar (@SpokespersonMoD) June 16, 2015
The aircraft took off from the Allahabad base at 7:25 am and crashed at around 8:47 am in an uninhabited field close to a Food Corporation of India warehouse at Chaka, about 50 kms away, IAF and police said, adding there was no casualty.
A huge fire broke out as soon as the aircraft hit the ground and fire brigade was pressed into service. A small part of the wreckage caused minor damage to a boundary wall of one of the buildings, police said.
"Both the pilots had apparently sensed that something was wrong as they ejected before the aircraft came crashing down," Additional Superintendent of Police (trans-Yamuna), Allahabad, Ashutosh Mishra, said.
Fire brigade was pressed into service as the wreckage had caught fire. Locals came rushing to the spot in large numbers after hearing the crash. They did their bit in assisting the fire brigade personnel. The flames were doused after nearly an hour.
The cause of the crash is yet to be determined and a court of enquiry has been ordered by the Indian Air Force.
Earlier this year, a Jaguar aircraft crashed in agricultural fields near Shahbad town in March with the pilot ejecting safely from the plane.
The fighter jet crashed near Landa-Landi village, 12 km from Shahbad in Kurukshetra district of Haryana.
(With PTI Inputs)
