TNI Bureau: Two fighter jets of Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in Pahadgarh area of Morena in Madhya Pradesh this morning. Mid-air collision is said to be behind the crash. While two Pilots ejected safely with minor injuries, another pilot lost his life in the mid-air collision. The deceased Pilot has been identified as Wg Cdr Hanumanth Rao Sarathi.
According to defence sources, a Sukhoi-30 and Mirage 2000 aircraft were involved in the crash. They had taken off from the Gwalior air base in Madhya Pradesh where an exercise was going on.
The Su-30 had two pilots, while Mirage 2000 had one pilot during the crash. The Mirage 2000 Pilot could not eject on time and died in the crash.
The IAF has ordered a court of inquiry into the incident. Preliminary reports suggest that it was not a head-on collision, but could be a collision of the wings of both jets.
Speaking about the aircraft crash, Singh Narwariya, the additional superintendent of police of Morena said, “An air force team is reaching the spot to confirm about the plane and number of people present in it. Police found a hand near the plane.”
“Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh was briefed by the Chief of Air Staff on the crash of two aircraft of the Indian Air Force. Raksha Mantri enquired about the well-being of the IAF pilots and is monitoring the developments closely,” defence ministry sources told.