Mirage-2000 crashes near Jaipur, pilot safe

In the second such mishap in 10 days involving an Indian Air Force plane, a Mirage-2000 combat aircraft on Monday  crashed in a forested area of Rajasthan’s Dausa district.

Defence spokesperson S D Goswami said, “One Mirage 2000 aircraft of IAF crashed approximately 60 kms short of Jaipur, in Dausa on Monday at about 12:30 pm. 

The pilots, Squadron Leader Raj and Flight Lieutenant Kanav, who were  airborne from Gwalior airbase for routine flying sortie, ejected safely.

There is no reported damage to civil property or life. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate into the cause of the accident.”

The villagers said they saw  the two pilots landing with the help of parachute followed by the sound of blast. The district  administration immediately sent relief team to the area.
Superintendent of Police, Sawai Madhopur, Anshuman Singh said a police party had been dispatched to the crash spot which was located in a hilly area.

This is the third crash involving an IAF aircraft this year. A Kiran MK II trainer plane had crashed in Chennai on January 30.

 Within five minutes of taking off, the plane had developed a technical snag and crashed, IAF officials said.

A trainer version of the jet had crashed in Madhya Pradesh on February 24, but both pilots, one of whom was an air marshal, had managed to eject in time.