A fighter plane crashed near the Uttarlai Airbase in Barmer. Upon receiving information, police and administrative officers arrived at the scene. There were two pilots in the fighter plane, both of whom ejected safely before the crash.
According to reports, the fighter plane crashed around 10 PM on Monday, away from the residential area. After the crash, the plane caught fire following a loud explosion. Upon receiving information about the incident, Barmer Collector Nishant Jain, SP Narendra Singh Meena, and other district officials reached the site. Defense PRO Ajitabh Sharma confirmed that it was a MiG-29 fighter plane that had crashed.
After the plane caught fire, the area was engulfed in smoke.
Pilots Directed the Plane Away from Populated Area
SP Narendra Singh Meena stated, “The Collector received a call that a fighter plane had crashed near Kawas. Both pilots are safe. The crash occurred near a populated area, but the pilots managed to steer the plane toward a field, away from the population. The Air Force has cordoned off a 400-meter area around the crash site.”
Locals Mistook the Crash for Lightning
A local resident, Neemraj, mentioned, “We were sitting outside after dinner when suddenly, we heard a loud explosion and saw smoke rising. It felt like lightning had struck. Shortly after, we received a call from a nearby village, and we rushed to the site, where we saw the burning fighter plane.”
The locals reported that one of the pilots had ejected about 1 kilometer before the crash site, while the other was found near Shaheed Hukam Singh’s village. Both pilots are safe.
Air Force Orders Investigation
After the plane crash, local residents and police-administration officials rushed to the scene. The crash happened near Barmer’s Uttarlai Airbase, and both pilots are safe.
People from nearby areas gathered at the crash site and began taking photos and videos of the burning plane with their mobile phones.
Several Previous Aircraft Accidents in Rajasthan
Tejas Fighter Jet Crash in Jaisalmer
Around five months ago, a Tejas fighter jet crashed in Jaisalmer. On March 12, 2024, the jet crashed 2 km from Jaisalmer city at a hostel of the Bhil community in Jawahar Nagar. This was the first crash involving a Tejas aircraft. Fortunately, no one was in the hostel room at the time, preventing major damage. The incident occurred about 100 km from the military exercise site in Pokhran, during a program attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, and senior military officers.
Surveillance Aircraft Crash of the Indian Air Force
About four months ago, a reconnaissance aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed 30 km from Jaisalmer. On April 25, 2024, around 10 AM, the UAV aircraft crashed near Bhojaniyon Ki Dhani, close to Pithla-Jazia village. There was no damage in the incident. This UAV was unmanned and was used for monitoring activities along the border area. This type of craft has crashed before due to technical faults.
MiG-21 Crash in Hanumangarh, Resulting in the Death of Three Women
On May 8, 2023, around 9:45 AM, a MiG-21 fighter jet crashed in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan. The jet fell on a house in the Bahlol Nagar area, resulting in the deaths of three women residing there. The pilot, however, was found safe about 25 km away from Suratgarh Airbase. According to the Air Force, the MiG-21 was on a training flight.
Collision of Fighter Planes Near Gwalior, One Crashes in Bharatpur
On January 27, 2023, two fighter planes of the Air Force, Sukhoi-30 and Mirage-2000, collided near Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. One of the fighter planes crashed in a field about 1 km from the Pingora Railway Station in Bharatpur. The plane was so badly fragmented that officials initially could not identify the parts. While the Sukhoi pilots managed to eject safely, the Mirage pilot lost his life.