Two aircraft crashed during rehearsals for Aero India Show – Bangalore
Two aircraft crashed during rehearsals for Aero India Show – Bangalore
Aero India Show being held in Karnataka, two aircrafts of Indian Air Force’s (IAF) aerobatic team Surya Kiran crashed during a practice sortie in Bengaluru. The aircrafts crashed at the Yelahanka airbase during the rehearsal for the show.
There were three pilots in total on both jets – one died while the two others ejected safely, local media reported, citing officials. Footage from the scene shows the planes falling from the sky, with one plane spinning as it descends. In another video, both surviving pilots were seen parachuting out of their aircraft.
“No injuries to any civilians. No major damage to any houses,” the police chief said, adding that firefighters had been on the scene to put out flames. The Asian country’s Ministry of Defense confirmed the accident in a statement: “Today morning around 11.50 am two Hawk aircraft of Surya Kiran Aerobatic Display Team crashed close to Yelahanka Air Force Base.”
Videos of the accident on social media showed the planes flying one on top of the other in the moments before they collided and lost control. It also showed large columns of black smoke billowing from the sites of impact. Karnataka’s fire department shared photographs on Twitter showing firefighters extinguishing the flames that ravaged the wreckage of the aircraft at the scene of the crash.
The accident took place during training ahead of Wednesday’s inauguration of the 2019 edition of the Aero India air show. IAF pilots are scheduled to carry out a demonstration as part of the air show. Aero India, which takes place every two years, will run from Wednesday Feb. 20 through Sunday Feb. 24.
The show would host 403 exhibitors and was expected to welcome thousands of visitors. Some 60,000 business visitors and 100,000 members of the public attended the 2017 edition of Aero India. “It has also become a hub for defense businesses in Asia,” the organizers said on their site.