Chandigarh: A Jaguar aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in the Morni Hills area of Panchkula district, near here, after taking off from neighbouring Ambala district of Haryana, Friday afternoon. The pilot managed to eject from the aircraft safely.
The aircraft reportedly crashed around 4 pm in the hilly forest areas of village Baldwala of Raipur Rani tehsil of Panchkula district located close to the IAF airbase in neighbouring Ambala. The incident caused anxiety and panic among the local villagers who were the first to rush to the spot, followed by the area police and the IAF rescue team.
A statement issued by IAF said: “A Jaguar aircraft of the IAF crashed at Ambala, during a routine training sortie today, after encountering system malfunction. The pilot maneuvered the aircraft away from any habitation on ground, before ejecting safely. An inquiry has been ordered by the IAF, to ascertain the cause of the accident.’’
An IAF spokesperson also said that the pilot was taken to a hospital for a medical check-up.
