An Indian Air Force pilot was killed after a MiG-21 Bison aircraft crashed in Punjab's Moga district, officials said on Friday.
The aircraft was on a routine sortie from Suratgarh when it crashed near a village in Moga, they said.
A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident which took place late Thursday night.
"There was an aircraft accident last night involving a Bison aircraft of IAF in the western sector," the Indian Air Force (IAF) said in a tweet.
The pilot, Sqn Ldr Abhinav Choudhary, sustained fatal injuries.
"IAF condoles the tragic loss and stands firmly with the bereaved family. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident," it said.
The incident took place around 1 am on Friday when the Mig-21 of the IAF crashed at Langiana Khurd village of Baghapurana in Moga. The IAF aircraft was on a routine training sortie when the accident happened, the air force officials said.
A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident, said IAF.
This is the third crash of a MiG-21 aircraft this year. In March, a Group Captain of the IAF was killed in an accident involving a MiG-21 Bison aircraft at an airbase in central India, an India Today report said.
The accident took place when the aircraft was taking off for a combat training mission, the IAF had said, and added that Group Captain A Gupta was killed in the accident. A court of inquiry was ordered to determine the cause of the accident.
"During a training sortie in the western sector, a MiG-21 Bison aircraft experienced a major technical malfunction this evening. The pilot ejected safely. There is no loss of life," the IAF had said.
A court of inquiry was ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.
