A MiG-27 of the Indian Air Force crashed near an abandoned airfield in Salua area of West Bengal's Midnapore district on Thursday, official sources said.

The pilot of the fighter plane bailed out, but sustained serious wounds, Midnapore district magistrate M V Rao said. He has not been identified.

The aircraft took off from the Kalaikunda airbase around 1900 IST on a routine sortie, but crashed shortly. No damage on the ground has been reported so far.

An IAF inquiry team has reached the accident site.