<p>A frontline Sukhoi SU-30 MKI combat jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in Assam's Nagaon district on Tuesday, but both pilots ejected safely, officials said.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Sources from the IAF said a technical snag was responsible for the crash that took place at 12.30 p.m.<br /><br />"Preliminary investigation shows a technical snag caused the crash," an official said.<br />Officials said no decision has been taken yet for grounding the Sukhoi-30 fleet.<br /><br />The aircraft that crashed on Tuesday had taken off from the Tezpur air base "on a routine mission", an official said.<br /><br />"After takeoff, the aircraft developed a technical snag and the pilot was forced to abandon the aircraft. Both the pilots ejected. The ejection was safe and the aircraft crashed at 1230 hours... in a thick forest near Tezpur.<br /><br />"A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident," Group Captain Amit Mahajan, defence ministry's spokesperson in Shillong, said in a statement.<br />India has a total of 272 SU-30 MKI planes, making it this fighter aircraft's largest operator in the world.<br /><br />Following a crash near Pune in October last year, the entire SU-30 fleet was grounded for a month before it was allowed to fly again in November.<br /><br />It was the longest period for which the fleet was grounded since 2009 when its operations were suspended for nearly three weeks following an accident.<br /><br />A study conducted about the fighter's engine failure found that out of a total 69 cases in the last three years, 33 cases were due to chips in the oil, 11 cases were due to vibration in the engine -- which was the result of bearing problems, and eight cases were found to be because of low pressure of lubricating oil.<br /></p>
<p>A frontline Sukhoi SU-30 MKI combat jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in Assam's Nagaon district on Tuesday, but both pilots ejected safely, officials said.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Sources from the IAF said a technical snag was responsible for the crash that took place at 12.30 p.m.<br /><br />"Preliminary investigation shows a technical snag caused the crash," an official said.<br />Officials said no decision has been taken yet for grounding the Sukhoi-30 fleet.<br /><br />The aircraft that crashed on Tuesday had taken off from the Tezpur air base "on a routine mission", an official said.<br /><br />"After takeoff, the aircraft developed a technical snag and the pilot was forced to abandon the aircraft. Both the pilots ejected. The ejection was safe and the aircraft crashed at 1230 hours... in a thick forest near Tezpur.<br /><br />"A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident," Group Captain Amit Mahajan, defence ministry's spokesperson in Shillong, said in a statement.<br />India has a total of 272 SU-30 MKI planes, making it this fighter aircraft's largest operator in the world.<br /><br />Following a crash near Pune in October last year, the entire SU-30 fleet was grounded for a month before it was allowed to fly again in November.<br /><br />It was the longest period for which the fleet was grounded since 2009 when its operations were suspended for nearly three weeks following an accident.<br /><br />A study conducted about the fighter's engine failure found that out of a total 69 cases in the last three years, 33 cases were due to chips in the oil, 11 cases were due to vibration in the engine -- which was the result of bearing problems, and eight cases were found to be because of low pressure of lubricating oil.<br /></p>