MiG-29 crashes near Jamnagar

A MiG-29 fighter aircraft crashed near Jamnagar on Monday during a training sortie but the pilot ejected safely.

"The MiG-29 aircraft was on a one-on-one training flight when the pilot lost control and it crashed. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Dheer ejected out safely," IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Mahesh Upasani said in New Delhi.

This is the sixth IAF aircraft to crash this year.

"There is no information as yet about any casualty on the ground when the aircraft crashed about 50 km west of the Jamnagar air base. As far as I know, it is vacant plot of land where the aircraft crashed," Upasani said.

The MiG-29 belonged to the IAF's 28 Squadron and it had taken off from Jamnagar for the training exercise. The crash took place at 11.23 hours, he said.

Five crashes involved a MiG-27, two MiG-21s, a Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer and a Kiran trainer have taken place this year.

A pilot was killed in one of the crashes.

In January this year, a MiG-27 crashed near Hashimara in North Bengal, followed by a MiG-21 crash near Bhuj in Gujarat in February. In April, a Hawk trainer crashed at Bidar, Karnataka and in May a Kiran trainer crashed at Dindigul near Hyderabad, when a lady trainee pilot was killed. In the fifth incident, also in May, a MiG-21 from Bagdogra air base crashed.