India

IAF chopper crashes in Rajasthan’s Jaislalmer

A file photo of IAF chopper.

New Delhi: An Indian Air Force chopper crashed on Friday evening in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer, news agency PTI reported quoting a senior police officer.

The news agency reported that a search operation has been launched to locate the pilot.

However, one report suggests that the pilot of the chopper, MiG-21, has died in the accident and his body has been recovered.

The plane crashed in the Desert National Park area under the Sam police station, Jaisalmer SP Ajay Singh told the agency. The SP said local police reached the spot and he is also on the way to the crash site.

Confirming the news, the official handle of the Air Force tweeted, “This evening, around 8:30 pm, a MiG-21 aircraft of IAF met with a flying accident in the western sector during a training sortie. Further details are awaited. An inquiry is being ordered.”

This evening, around 8:30 pm, a MiG-21 aircraft of IAF met with a flying accident in the western sector during a training sortie.

Several MiG-21 crashes have been reported this year alone. The aircraft has been dubbed “flying coffin” as it makes news regularly for crashes. From 1971 to April 2012, as many as 482 MiG aircraft have met with accidents, killing 171 pilots, 39 civilians, eight service personnel, and one aircrew, the government of India had told the Parliament in May 2012.

“The causes of accidents were both human error and technical defects,” the government of India had said.

Pertinently, on December 8, 2021, Indian Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife and eleven other armed forces personnel, were killed following a chopper crash in Tamil Nadu. The Indian Air Force Mi-17V5 helicopter was airborne from Sulur for Wellington.

“An IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, with CDS Gen Bipin Rawat on board, met with an accident today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. An Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident,” the Indian Air Force had tweeted soon after the incident.

The crash had taken place in the Nilgiris, shortly after the Mi-series chopper took off from the army base in Sulur.

 

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