Meanwhile, the condition of pilot Group Captain Mathur of NFTC and co-pilot Wing Commander Batra of AFTC remained stable. In the mishap, Batra got his ankle injured but Mathur was completely safe, informed sources said.
Batra is being treated at the Command Hospital, Old Airport Road, Mathur has been admitted to HAL Hospital, HAL Chairman Ashok Nayak said.
The court of inquiry, consisting of about eight people, would submit a report on the cause of the mishap shortly but no time frame had been fixed, Nayak added.
So far, the aircraft had had about 276 test flights. Although Thursday’s mishap was “worrisome,” the programme was well on track.
The IJT was launched in 1999 and is meant to be the backbone of the Indian Air Force’s combat pilot training programme, replacing its workhorse Kiran.
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