New Delhi: An Indian Air Force MiG-21 Type-69 Trainer aircraft crashed near Gwalior on the morning of September 25 when it was on a routine mission and was airborne from Air Force Station Gwalior.

The aircraft crashed at approximate distance of 6 Nautical Miles while on approach for landing. Both the Pilots ejected safely and were picked up by rescue Helicopter. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of accident.

“The two pilots ejected safely, according to the information passed to us from the village head from the spot, some 60 km from the district headquarters,” said Rudolf Alvares, Bhind Superintendent of Police.

In March, another MiG-21 crashed in Bikaner in Rajasthan. The pilot managed to eject successfully. According to sources, the plane took off on a routine mission afternoon when its engine developed technical issues.

According to the Air Force, the MiG-21 is a Soviet-era single-engine multirole fighter/ground attack aircraft that forms the backbone of its fleet. It was first inducted into the IAF in the 1960s, soon after the Indo-China War and upgraded to the MiG-21 Bison version in 2006.