An Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot escaped narrowly on Friday after the Jaguar aircraft he was flying developed a snag and crashed near an air base here in Gujarat.
The pilot, a Squadron Leader, was returning to the Jamnagar Air Force base after a routine training mission when he detected the snag while landing, an IAF spokesperson said. He managed to eject safely but it wasn’t known immediately if he sustained any grave injuries.
Informed sources said the plane rolled for about 500 feet before the rocket-assisted ejection seat threw the pilot out. The plane then rolled for another 100 feet and slipped into the rough alongside the tarmac. A court of inquiry has been ordered, the spokesperson said. This is the second IAF Jaguar crash in the last three days.
Also Read: Air Force’s Jaguar Fighter Jet Crashes, Pilot Killed
“At around 9:20 am, the pilot of a Jaguar aircraft, on a routine mission from Jamnagar, safely ejected when the aircraft developed a snag during the landing phase. It was a minor accident. The pilot is safe,” an official said.
The official added that the plane had not crashlanded, as it had only developed a technical snag. There was only minor damage to the fighter jet, he said.
Air Commodore Sanjay Chauhan was killed after his plane went down in the Kutch region in northwestern Gujarat on Tuesday. He had also taken off from the Jamnagar Air Force base for a routine training mission. The cause of the June 5 crash is still unknown.
Post Your Comments