IAF's MiG-29 crashes in Punjab, pilot safe

A Mig-29 multi-role fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed in Chuharpur village near Jalandhar in Punjab on Friday after it developed a technical snag, officials said.

The pilot of the jet ejected safely, they said.

"One Mig-29 aircraft airborne on a training mission from an Air Force base near Jalandhar met with an accident. The aircraft had developed a technical snag and the pilot ejected safely as he was unable to control the aircraft," the IAF said in a statement.

An IAF fighter jet crashed into the fields here, Nawanshahr Deputy Commissioner Vinay Bublani said. Officials said the crash took place around 10.30 am.

The IAF said the pilot has been rescued by a helicopter and that a court of inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of the accident.

At present, the IAF has three squadrons of the Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets and two of them are stationed at the Adampur Air Force station. One squadron comprises 16-18 aircraft.

The fleet was upgraded around two years back following which they gained in strength and ferocity.

In the 1999 Kargil War, the Mig-29 fleet played an important role in destroying enemy fortifications.

The IAF has lost a number of MiG 29s in crashes in the last few years.

In February, a MiG-29K fighter jet of the Indian Navy crashed near Goa.

Friday's crash comes, around three weeks after a brand new AH-64E Apache attack helicopter of the IAF made an emergency landing in Hoshiarpur district in Punjab.