Bikaner: An Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter plane MiG-21 crashed at Shobhasar village near Bikaner district in Rajasthan. The incident happened on Friday afternoon. The pilot ejected safely before the fighter plane crashed.
The fighter plane took off from Nal Air Force station. It is located approximately 13 kilometres west of Bikaner.
Soon after the incident, fire tenders and the IAF local officers rushed to the spot. Meanwhile, a court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of crash. However, media reports suggest that the accident happened due to bird hit.
“MiG-21 aircraft on a routine mission crashed today after getting airborne from Nal near Bikaner. The pilot of the aircraft ejected safely. Court of inquiry will investigate the cause of the accident,”media tweeted.
Briefing about the incident, Bikaner SP Pradeep Mohan Sharma said, “The MIG aircraft crashed in Shobhasar ki Dhani, 12 km from Bikaner city.” Adding, he said, “Police teams have rushed the spot to cordon off the area. No loss of life has been reported.”
The incident comes a few days after the IAF shot down an unidentified flying object, detected over the India-Pakistan International Border in Rajasthan. As per top defence sources, quoted by media, the unidentified aircraft – likely a drone – entered Indian airspace on the morning of March 4.