1 killed as Indian Air Force's MiG-27 crashes in West Bengal
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, July 24, IRNA -- A MiG-27 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) saturday crashed in a field, killing one person on the ground and injuring 25 others, five of them critically, in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal state.
The pilot, Saket Verma, ejected from the aircraft but was injured and has been hospitalised, pti reported quoting Superintendent of Police Anand Kumar.
A farmer who was cultivating his field was killed when the MiG crashed between Moynaguri and Chengrabandha. 25 people were injured when the aircraft crashed, of whom 5 were in a serious condition.
An IAF spokesperson said in New Delhi that the MiG-27 took off from the Hashimara Air Base on a routine sortie and crashed today morning within minutes of take-off.
This is the second Mig-27 crash in the eastern sector. In February this year, the IAF's entire fleet of over 100 Mig 27s were grounded for technical inspection, after a pilot was killed in a crash near Siliguri in West Bengal.
India lost two MiG-27 jets last year, and a total of about 12 since 2001, due to crashes attributed largely to defects in the aircraft's engines.
Soviet-designed MiG-27 fighter jets, known as the Bahadhur (Brave) in the IAF, have been produced in India under license since 1986. The IAF operates 5 squadrons of the ground attack fighter.
2160**1432
End News / IRNA / News Code 1243187
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
