IAF's Tejas aircraft crashes near Rajasthan's Jaisalmer, pilot ejected safely
What's the story
An Indian Air Force aircraft crashed near a student hostel in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer on Tuesday. The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas of the Indian Air Force met with the accident during an operational training sortie. The pilot has ejected safely.
IAF's statement
Court of Inquiry constituted
Reacting to the incident the Indian Air Force said in a statement, "One Tejas aircraft of the Indian Air Force met with an accident at Jaisalmer." "The pilot ejected safely. A Court of Inquiry has been constituted to find out the cause of the accident," the statement added. This is the first crash of the indigenous jet since it first flew 23 years ago.
Video goes viral
Video of crash goes viral
A video of the crash has gone viral. It shows, the pilot ejecting from the Tejas fighter jet as the plane glides at a low altitude. The pilot can be seen opening the parachute and descends toward the ground. The Tejas aircraft can be seen crashing on the ground of the student's hostel several metres away.
Last month
IAF Hawk trainer aircraft crash
Last month, an IAF Hawk trainer aircraft crashed during a training sortie in West Bengal, near the Kalaikunda Air Force Station. Fortunately, no loss of life or damage to civilian property occurred, as both pilots safely ejected from the plane before the crash.
Twitter Post
Watch: Video of the aftermath of the crash
#WATCH | Rajasthan | A Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas of the Indian Air Force crashed near Jaisalmer today during an operational training sortie. The pilot ejected safely. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident. pic.twitter.com/3JZf15Q8eZ
— ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2024