IAF MiG-21 Fighter Aircraft Crashes, Pilot Killed

An Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-21 fighter aircraft crashes in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district on Wednesday, killing its pilot.

"Today (July 18) afternoon a MiG-21 aircraft, which was on a routine sortie crashed at 1321/hr in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. The aircraft had got airborne from Air Force Station Pathankot at 1220/hr. The pilot sustained fatal injuries during the accident. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to establish the cause of the accident," read an official statement.

Two IAF helicopters have landed at the crash site with Air Force personnel who are conducting preliminary investigations. 

This is the third crash involving an IAF jet in the last couple of months. Several incidents of crash involving the MiG-21 fighter aircraft have been reported in the recent past, raising concerns over the Russian made aircraft. The IAF is already in the process of phasing out the MiG-21 fighters.  

The IAF has inducted a total of 946 MiG-21s in its fleet and 476 of them have been lost in various accidents over the past 45 years.