Yet another Sukhoi-30 crashes, pilots safe

The Sukhoi fleet was grounded in October last year after a crash in Pune.

Security personnel and villagers gather near the debris of a Sukhoi SU-30 fighter plane that crashed at Juria in Nagaon on Tuesday.

A Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed in Assam on Tuesday. The two pilots ejected safely.

Sixth crash

The jet had taken off from the Tezpur Air Force Station on a routine mission and crashed at half past noon in a thick forest near Tezpur. This is the sixth crash of a Su-30 aircraft since their induction in 1997.

“After take-off, the aircraft developed a technical snag and had to be abandoned,” Group Captain Amit Mahajan, Defence Ministry spokesperson in Shillong, said.

Probe ordered

A court of inquiry has been ordered, officials said, adding that the aircraft accident investigation board was looking into the cause, based on which it would be decided if the entire fleet should be grounded for safety checks.

The Sukhoi fleet was grounded in October last year after a crash in Pune.

Sukhois are the frontline air-superiority fighters of the Air Force. India has contracted 272 of these aircraft from Russia and over 200 have been inducted.