IAF Kiran MK-I crashes, two pilots killed (Lead: IAF)

One Kiran MK-I trainer aircraft of Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed on Tuesday morning killing an instructor and a trainer in a routine training-flying night sortie.

Hyderabad, Sept. 11 : One Kiran MK-I trainer aircraft of Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed on Tuesday morning killing an instructor and a trainer in a routine training-flying night sortie.

The aircraft was on a training mission, when it crashed immediately after it took off from Hakimpet Air Force Station on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

According to IAF official, the reason of the crash will be known only after an inquiry.

"Court of enquiry will tell the reason for the crash. The aircraft had one instructor Squadron Leader Bhagat and a flight cadet U. C. Pathi. I have no information of earlier crashes here," said J. P. S. Chawan, an Air Force official.

There was no damage to civil property as a result of air crash.

IAF has a poor safety record and more than 170 MiGs, the mainstay of the force, have crashed in the past decade.

More than 40 pilots have also been killed during this period, mostly in MiG-21 crashes, leading to the aircraft being labeled "flying coffins" by the media.

Experts blame the crashes on an ageing fleet and inadequately trained pilots, who jump from flying basic, low-speed jets to supersonic fighters without an intermediate trainer.

ANI