A Mirage 2000 trainer aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed in the Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh during a standard training flight on Thursday, according to an official statement. Both pilots were safely ejected prior to the crash, and no injuries were reported in the incident.
“A Mirage 2000 aircraft of the IAF crashed near Shivpuri (Gwalior), during a routine training sortie today, after encountering a system malfunction. Both the pilots ejected safely. An inquiry has been ordered by the IAF, to ascertain the cause of the accident,” the IAF said in a post on X.
Preliminary reports indicate that the plane is believed to have experienced a technical failure, resulting in the crash. A court of Inquiry has been commissioned to establish the precise reason for the incident, the statement mentioned.
The Mirage 2000, a multirole fighter jet, has been integral to the Indian Air Force and has contributed importantly to multiple operations, such as the Balakot airstrikes in 2019. As the air force keeps updating its fleet, worries persist regarding the safety of older fighter jets and training aircraft.
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Officials have secured the accident location, and additional inquiry into the event is in progress.
Footage from the aftermath of the accident revealed aircraft debris scattered across a field, with hundreds of individuals congregated at the location.
A recent report from the Standing Committee on Defence has expressed worries about the rising incidents of aircraft accidents involving the Air Force. The report indicated that the air force documented 34 aircraft accidents throughout the 13th Defence Plan period (2017–2022).
