IAF Su-30 Crashes, Pilots Safe

A Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet on a routine training sortie belonging to the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in the north-east Indian state of Assam on Thursday night.

The aircraft crashed minutes after taking off from Tezpur air base in Assam. Pilots ejected safely.

Although the exact cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained, a senior IAF official said that the pilots had reported a problem with the engine minutes before the crash.

"The pilots ejected safely. They had reported engine trouble shortly before the crash," the IAF official was quoted as saying by HT.

The IAF has stated that a court of inquiry will carry out investigations to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.

The Sukhoi crash comes months after the tragic crash of the IAF’s transport carrier An-32 crashed in Arunachal Pradesh in June. Twenty six people including IAF personnel were killed in this crash.

According to data compiled by the Defence Ministry, the IAF had lost 11 aircraft last year including 7 fighter jets and 2 helicopters.

Since 2014, the IAF has lost 26 fighter jets, 6 choppers, 9 trainers and 3 transport aircraft. In all, 46 air force personnel have lost their lives in these accidents.