Jaguar crashes in Gwalior, pilots ejects safely
By Ishaan Thakur | Fri, 10/07/2005 - 18:48
A Jaguar deep-strike penetration aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed this morning at the Gwalior air base but the pilot, Squadron Leader Vishal Gupta, managed to bail out safely.
The fighter, according to IAF officials here, got airborne from the base around 0830 hours to undertake a training strike mission, but within minutes of take-off, the pilot experienced some problems with the engine and the aircraft plunged within the perimeters of the base.
No injury to any person or damage to any property was reported when the aircraft crashed on the ground, officials said.
This is the second major crash involving an Jaguar this year and initial reports said the cause of the accident could be due to technical snag in the engine. The IAF has ordered a Court of Inquiry to probe the cause of the crash.
Another Jaguar fighter crashed near the Gorakhpur IAF base on May 11, this year killing the pilot Flt Lt Amit Singh. The entire Jaguar fleet of fighters had been ordered to undergo safety inspection two years ago following a tragic mid-air collision over the Kashmir valley during active exercises.
After stringent checks, the aircraft were cleared for flying. The inspections had been undertaken by HAL and British Rolls Royce engine makers. The IAF has recently gone in for upgradation of about 20 of these aircraft installing more avionics and safety measures.
This is the sixth crash of an IAF aircraft this year and comes on the eve of the force celebrating its 73rd anniversary tomorrow.
IAF officials had reeled out statics yesterday to claim that for the past six months, the force has been able to check air accidents.
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