Two Surya Kiran aircraft of the acrobatic team of the Indian Air Force (IAF) collided mid-air at Yelhanka Air Force Base in Bengaluru on Tuesday just a day before the start of Aero India 2019. Both pilots ejected safely.
(Photo: Twitter/@zone5aviation)
Two Surya Kiran aircraft of the acrobatic team of the Indian Air Force (IAF) collided mid-air at Yelhanka Air Force Base in Bengaluru on Tuesday just a day before the start of Aero India 2019. The pilots of the aircraft ejected safely.
The aircraft, part of the 52nd Squadron of the IAF, were rehearsing for the acrobatic display for Aero India when they collided into each other.
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The debris from the aircraft fell on the ISRO layout in Yelhanka but there was no casualty on the ground. Reports quoting Bengaluru police said that one person was injured.
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Eyewitnesses saw a thick plume of smoke rising from the air force base, which could also be seen from afar, following the crash.
This is the second crash involving IAF aircraft in Bengaluru in less than a month.
On 1 February, two pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) lost their lives when their Mirage-2000 fighter jet crashed on the runway of the Yemalur-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) facility.
The two pilots, Squadron Leader Siddhartha Negi and Squadron Leader Samir Abrol, were on a training sortie. Reports say that the crash happened even before they could take-off. Both pilots ejected from the fighter but got engulfed in the flames when the aircraft exploded.
The 12th edition of Aero India 2019, the International Aerospace and Defence Exhibition, will be held from 20 to 24 February 2019 at Yelahanka.
Among the highlights of the display will be aerial display of LCA Tejas by the 45th Squadron and flight display Airborne Early Warning & Control System (AEW&C), a display by Rafale fighter jets and a battery of US military aircraft, including the F/A-18 Super Hornet and the B-52 Stratofortress.
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