Fuel Tank of in-flight HAL- Tejas Jet Falls from Sky

The fuel tank of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas belonging to the Indian Air Force (IAF) decoupled from the jet while it was flying over Tamil Nadu state, south India, and landed over agricultural field in the outskirts of the state-capital Chennai, on Tuesday morning.

The unfortunate incident happened when the fighter was on a routine sortie. The plane landed safely at the Sulur air base after the 1200-litre drop tank fell from the sky.

“Today (Tuesday) morning at around 08.40am, one fuel drop tank fell off from a Tejas aircraft on a routine sortie from Sulur Air Base near Coimbatore. The aircraft landed back safely after the incident. No damage was reported on ground. The cause of the incident is being investigated,” the IAF said in a statement.

The incident caused a small fire and created a three-foot deep crater at the field, according to the Indian media.