A Sukhoi fighter plane — Su-30MKI — of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in Maharashtra’s Nashik district on Tuesday, police said. The pilot and co-pilot ejected safely and were taken to a Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) hospital, Special Inspector General of Nashik Range DR Karale told PTI.
The incident occurred at a field near Shirasgaon village of Nifad tehsil in Nashik. The Su-30 MKI fighter jet was being flown by Wing Commander Bokil and his second-in-command Biswas. It crashed at around 1.20 pm.
The two pilots have received minor injuries and are currently being treated at the hospital.
“A Sukhoi 30 MKI crashed while on a test sortie from HAL Nashik at Shirasgaon. Both the pilots of HAL have ejected to safety. A technical snag was reported by the pilots. The exact reason will only be known after a detailed investigation,” read a statement from HAL.
IAF aircraft caught fire, which was later doused. According to police, some parts of the fighter plane were scattered over a 500-metre radius.
Post the incident, teams of the Indian Air Force as well as the security and technical wings of HAL visited the spot.
While the exact reason behind the crash is yet to be ascertained, a police official noted that preliminary information points to technical factors.
Sources within the IAF told PTI that the aircraft was undergoing flight testing post-overhaul and was kept under HAL’s inventory for overhaul and testing purposes.
Post the overhaul and testing procedures, the aircraft is given back to IAF for operations, the sources added.
Developed by Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi, the Su-30MKI is a two-seater, twinjet multirole air superiority fighter. It is built under licence by HAL for the Indian Air Force.
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