A MiG-21 Bison fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed today while landing at Uttarlai airbase in Rajasthan’s Barmer district, killing the pilot.

“One MiG-21 Bison crashed at the Uttarlai airbase at about 0930 hours. The pilot sustained fatal injuries,” the IAF said in a statement.

The aircraft had taken off with its Flight Lieutenant-rank pilot from the airbase for a routine training sortie and crashed while landing at the runway, officials said.

The Defence Ministry spokesperson in Jodhpur Colonel S. D. Goswami said a Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the reason behind the crash.

There was no reported loss to civilian life or property, he said.

Last month also, a MiG-21 plane from the same airbase had crashed but the pilots had managed to eject safely. The vintage MiG-21s have been in service for over 40 years now and are expected to continue flying till 2018-19 in view of the delays in the induction of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft.

The IAF has inducted over 900 MiG-21s in its fleet over a period of 40 years, half of which have been lost in different crashes.

This year, this is the sixth crash involving an IAF aircraft and the fifth of a fighter plane.

The aircraft which have crashed this year include a MiG-29, a MiG-27, a Su-30MKI and a Mi-17V5 medium-lift helicopter. Two MiG-21s have also crashed this year.

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Published on July 15, 2013