Jaisalmer (Rajasthan) : In a first-of-its-kind case involving an Indian Air Force Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), a Tejas plane crashed near Laxmichand Sawal Colony of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan during an operational training sortie on Tuesday, the IAF said. The pilot ejected safely before the accident, officials said. No casualty has been reported so far in the accident.
A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident. "A Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas of the Indian Air Force crashed near Jaisalmer today during an operational training sortie. The pilot ejected safely," an IAF statement said. This is the first accident since Tejas having an indigenously-built single-engine started flying in 2001.
Fire tenders and army personnel rushed the spot soon after the incident was reported. They extinguished the fire. The crash occurred around 100 km from the Pokhran desert, where a mega war game 'Bharat Shakti' witnessed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top military brass was underway. Thick black smoke was seen billowing out from a single-storey brick structure where the aircraft crashed.
Manufactured by state-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the Tejas aircraft is a potent platform for air combat and offensive air support mission. Besides, reconnaissance and anti-ship operations are its secondary roles.
Tejas aircrafts are set to be the mainstay of the IAF, which has already inducted nearly 40 initial variants. In February 2021, the defence ministry sealed a Rs 48,000 crore deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd for the procurement of 83 Tejas MK-1A jets for the IAF. In November last year, the ministry gave nod to IAF to procure an additional 97 Tejas jets.
The jet, belonging to the IAF's No 18 squadron or 'Flying Bullets', showcased its operational prowess along with two other Tejas aircraft in the war game, military sources said adding the aircraft was returning after flying in a formation. It is learnt that the aircraft was on its way back to the Jaisalmer air base.
Sources said the Tejas MK I aircraft that crashed was a final operational clearance (FOC) variant and it had all the safety features. Tejas was given initial operational clearance in 2011 and it was inducted into the IAF in 2016.
A video showed that the aircraft glided at low altitude and was eventually up in flames on hitting the ground shortly after the pilot ejected safely. Jaisalmer Additional Superintendent of Police Mahendra Singh said there was no loss of human life in the crash near Kalla and Jawahar residential colonies. A portion of a hostel building was damaged but there was no one inside at the time, added another police official.
Thick black smoke was seen billowing from the single-storey brick structure. Scores of people stood at a distance as the mangled remains of the plane smouldered. "The pilot is safe and no other person was injured in the incident. There were people all around the site of the incident and fortunately all are safe," Jaisalmer MLA Chhotu Singh Bhati, who reached the spot after the incident, told reporters.
An eyewitness said the pilot ejected shortly before the plane crashed. "As soon as the plane hit the ground, there was a loud sound," he told reporters. "The pilot was taken to a hospital. A team of doctors carried out his medical check-up and his condition is fine," an official said. (with agency inputs)
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