Tuesday's fatal Surya Kiran crash pilot might be the deadliest ever in the history of Aero India. But the airshow has been witness to other accidents in the past, the worst ever till Tuesday being the Sarang helicopter crash on February 2, 2007.
Rehearsing for the Aero India 2007, Sarang pilot Wg Cdr V Jaitely and co-pilot Sqn Ldr Priya Sharma were positioning the Dhruv helicopter for a 'crossover' when the aircraft crashed. Sqn Ldr Sharma was killed on the spot.
Under the shadow of this accident, the airshow kicked off. But the euphoria was short-lived as an Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) aircraft skidded on the runway.
Thousands gathered to watch the aerobatic displays were shocked when they heard a blast and saw the plane abort take-off after its tyre burst. The aircraft's canopy had opened up inadvertently. However, the pilot escaped unhurt.
The next three airshows passed without any incident. But the Aero India 2015 came dangerously close to another disaster. On February 19, 2015, two Red Bull aircraft, attempting a loop as part of an aerobatic demonstration, scraped against each other.
The wing of one aircraft had collided against the propeller of another Red Bull aircraft. The wings of both flying machines were damaged, but the pilots survived.
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