IAF plane crashes in UP’s Kushinagar, pilot safely ejected from fighter jet

GORAKHPUR/LUCKNOW: A Jaguar fighter of the Indian Air Force crashed about 300 km away from the state capital at Hetampur under Kasia police station of Kushinagar district on Monday. The pilot ejected safely in time after using his tactical expertise to land the plane away from habitation nearby.The fighter crashed in forest area just 30-40 metre away from Hasya village at 12.30pm. A court of enquiry has also been ordered to investigate the accident, said the Defence PRO in Lucknow.The officials of Indian Air Force (IAF) reached the site and conducted inspection of the wreckage site and collecting vital evidence for the probe.Kushinagar district magistrate Anil Kumar Singh told TOI that fighter aircraft crashed some 40 km away from the IAF airbase.“The Jaguar aircraft was on a routine sortie from the Gorakhpur air base. The pilot, Wing Commander Rohit Katoch was flying the fighter jet. Barely 10 minutes after take-off, the jet developed some snag. Katoch showed presence of mind and used his tactical expertise to ensure that the plane does not hit village homes and prevented casualties,” added Singh.“The fighter plane went on a routine mission from Gorakhpur air base at 12.15pm and crashed in Kushinagar district after 15 minutes. The pilot is safe. A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the reasons of crash,” said Wing Commander Arvind Sinha, public relations officer, Central Air Command, Bamraull, Allahabad.No injury or loss to human life has been reported in the incident. Scores of villagers gathered at the crash site.It happens to be the second air crash involving Jaguar jet fighter. In June, 2018, a Jaguar had crashed in Gujarat’s Kutch soon after taking off, killing the pilot.On October 5, 2018, IAF microlight aircraft had crashed in Ranchad village of Baghpat district in Uttar Pradesh . The two pilots had ejected safely.A villager Anshul Mishra who was on the roof of his house said that he saw a burning plane coming down. “It crashed in 15 seconds, leading to a deafening sound followed by heavy cloud of smoke. The earth trembled and it felt like an earthquake. I saw a man descending with a parachute,” added Mishra who informed Kushinagar police out post.