NEW DELHI, July 9: Two Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots were killed on Wednesday morning when their Jaguar trainer aircraft crashed into a field near Churu in Rajasthan.
A court of inquiry has been set up to investigate the cause of the accident, the IAF said. This is the third crash involving an IAF Jaguar fighter jet this year.
“An IAF Jaguar Trainer aircraft met with an accident during a routine training mission and crashed near Churu in Rajasthan, today. Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident. No damage to any civil property has been reported,” the IAF said in a post on X.
“The IAF deeply regrets the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families in this time of grief. A court of inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident,” it added.
According to defence officials, the twin-seater aircraft was on a routine training sortie when the pilots experienced a technical malfunction. In an effort to prevent damage to the airfield and surrounding populated areas, Squadron Leader Lokendra and Flight Lieutenant Rishi crashed the aircraft, and succumbed to their injuries, officials said.
The jet crashed in an agricultural field in Bhanoda village at 1:25 p.m., officials said. Shortly afterwards, local residents rushed to the site and found the burning debris. The bodies of both pilots were then recovered from the accident site. Police teams from Rajaldesar and Ratangarh, fire brigades, and ambulances were rushed in, and the area has been cordoned off.
This was not the first accident involving an IAF Jaguar this year. In March, a Jaguar fighter jet on a routine sortie had crashed in Ambala in Haryana after encountering a system malfunction. The pilot manoeuvred the aircraft away from any habitation on the ground before ejecting safely. In April, however, another pilot was killed in Jaguar crash near Jamnagar in Gujarat.
The Jaguars, developed by an Anglo-French company, were inducted into the IAF in the late 1970s. The IAF currently operates six squadrons of Jaguars, and is the world’s only airforce that continues to operate twin-engine Jaguar IS/IB/IM variants.
(Manas Dasgupta)
