IAF MiG-29 fighter crashes in Barmer, pilot ejects safely

Jaipur, Sep 02: An MiG-29 fighter plane, on a routine night training mission, crashed in Rajasthan's Barmer late on Monday after a snag, but the pilot managed to ejected safely, the Indian Air Force said.

"During a routine night training mission in Barmer sector, an IAF MiG-29 encountered a critical technical snag, forcing the pilot to eject. The pilot is safe and no loss of life or property was reported. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered," the IAF said in a post on X.

Officials said that the fighter plane crashed away from the residential area at around 10 p.m.

Barmer Collector Nishant Jain and SP Narendra Singh Meena along with other administrative officials of the district reached the spot. The SP said that this accident was reported near Barmer's Uttarlai airbase.

Locals said that the plane caught fire after a loud explosion. However, the pilot had managed to steer the plane to a deserted place before the crash.