Two pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were killed on Wednesday morning in a crash of a Jaguar trainer aircraft near Churu in Rajasthan. The IAF said a court of inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident.
“An IAF Jaguar Trainer aircraft met with an accident during a routine training mission and crashed near Churu in Rajasthan, today,” it said in a brief statement. “Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident. No damage to any civil property has been reported,” it said.
The IAF said it “deeply regrets” the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families in this time of grief. “A court of inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident,” it said. As per reports, the mishap took place at around 1.25 pm and the fighter jet crashed in an agricultural field in Bhanoda village. Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagade and Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma expressed grief over the incident. “Sad news of the crash of an Indian Air Force plane in Ratangarh area of Churu district has been received. Immediately after the incident, the administration is in alert mode and instructions have been given to the officials for relief and rescue work,” Sharma posted on social media and prayed for the peace of the departed souls.
This was the third Jaguar crash this year since March.
On March 7, a Jaguar fighter jet went down near Ambala during a routine sortie. The pilot was able to eject safely.
A month later on April 3, another Jaguar jet crashed in Gujarat’s Jamnagar. The pilot died in the crash.
The Jaguar jets were inducted into the IAF in 1979. The twin-engine fighter aircraft forms an important part of India’s nuclear triad, but the Indian Air Force is the only operator of these low-flying fighter bombers— the majority of which were licence-built by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under a transfer of technology from SEPECAT, a joint venture between France’s Breguet and the British Aircraft Corporation. The IAF currently operates six squadrons of Jaguar deep-penetration strike fighters.
So far this year, the IAF has witnessed five crashes. The first was on February 6, when a Mirage 2000 crashed near Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh after taking off from Gwalior.
Both pilots ejected safely. On March 7, the same day as the Ambala Jaguar crash, an AN-32 cargo aircraft met with an accident at Bagdogra Air Base in the eastern sector, though no injuries were reported. April 2 Jamnagar Jaguar crash was followed by the July 9 Churu incident, taking the tally of accidents to five in seven months.