NEW DELHI, 6 November — At least four people were killed and nine injured when an Indian Air Force (IAF) Jaguar fighter yesterday crashed into a residential colony near an air force base in neighboring Haryana, IAF officials said.
The jet plowed into the ground moments after it took off from the IAF base at Ambala, 120 km from here. The Anand Vihar colony where it came down is located four km from the airfield, IAF spokesman Squadron Leader R.K. Dhingra said.
The pilot, Flight-Lieutenant Rehani, suffered spinal injuries after he bailed out. There were reports of at least four dead and an unspecified number of people who suffered burn injuries.
The body of a woman and a 15-year-old boy have been extricated from the rubble of two houses that took the full impact of the crash, Dhingra said. The accident occurred at around 3.30 p.m.
“It was a routine training flight. Apparently, there were some technical problems that caused the pilot to lose control of the aircraft,” Dhingra said.
The casualties could rise as the aircraft had gone down in a populated area, Dhingra added.
The plane fell on a cluster of houses that immediately caught fire. “Our rescue teams have reached the spot and we are waiting for details about the situation on the ground.”
Rescue teams were hard at work to extricate more bodies from the mound of metal and rubble. The injured were taken to Ambala’s civil hospital. This is the third major accident this year in which military aircraft have crashed in residential areas, killing civilians and damaging property.
In September, two naval aircraft attempting a formation flypast in Goa collided in midair and crashed, leading to 15 deaths on the ground. The 11 crew members of the two aircraft also perished. In May, seven people were killed and a dozen injured when a MiG-21 jet crashed in a residential area in Jalandhar in Punjab.
The IAF, the world’s fourth largest air force, has lost some 220 MiG-21s worth tens of millions of dollars in crashes between 1991 and 2000, killing around 100 pilots.
The Russian-made MiGs have earned the dubious nickname of “flying coffins” for their poor track record.
The IAF had lost a Jaguar in October last year. Yesterday’s crash saw the IAF lose its 21st Jaguar since the deep penetration strike aircraft entered service in July 1979. Most Jaguars serving with the IAF were made by state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. under license from Britain’s BAe Systems.
Air chief S. Krishnaswamy said the 1,200-aircraft Indian Air Force would be updating its strike force with new aircraft, helicopters and radar. The IAF has placed orders for 37 new Jaguars with HAL over the past few years.
