Sukhoi fighter jet crashes in Nashik, Pilot safely ejected

Visuals showed the plume of smoke billowing after the aircraft crashed in the field.

Nashik: Sukhoi-30MKI Fighter Jet Crashes in Field; Pilots Eject Safely with Minor Injuries

A Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet crashed in a field in Maharashtra’s Nashik today. Both the pilot and the co-pilot managed to eject safely, although they suffered minor injuries.

The plane went down in a field near Shirasgaon village, according to a senior police officer. Visuals from the scene showed a plume of smoke billowing after the aircraft crashed and caught fire. A crowd quickly gathered near the crash site.

The aircraft had taken off from Ozar in Maharashtra’s Nashik for a test flight after being overhauled by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), sources told Defence Watch. The pilots reported a technical snag in the aircraft before the crash. Sources also added that the Su-30MKI was not currently in the inventory of the Indian Air Force.

The Su-30 forms the mainstay of the Indian Air Force, with over 200 aircraft operating in several squadrons across the country. The Sukhoi fighter jet is a twin-engine, twin-seater, fourth-generation fighter aircraft built by Russia and licensed for production by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It has been a part of the Air Force for over 20 years and has undergone several upgrades, with the MKI version being the latest.