Further details awaited... Read this story in Bengali Gujarat: IAF's fighter jet crashes in Kutch, pilot killed NEW DELHI: An Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jet crashed in Mundra district of Kutch in Gujarat on Tuesday, reported Times Now.The IAF Jaguar belonging to the Jamnagar air base crashed on the outskirts of Beraja village. The pilot, Air Commodore Sanjay Chauhan, lost his life in the crash, a defence spokesperson told TOI. Five cows grazing in the field where the aircraft crashed were also killed. "Today morning a Jaguar aircraft on a routine training mission from Jamnagar crashed around 10:30 hours. The pilot Air Cmde Sanjay Chauhan sustained fatal injuries during the crash. A CoI [Court of Inquiry] has been ordered to investigate cause of the accident," said Lt Col Manish Ojha.The incident comes months after a Microlight Virus SW-80 helicopter of the IAF crashed in Assam 's Majuli island, killing two pilots -- Wing Commander J James and Wing Commander D Vats. The pilots had attempted an emergency landing but the aircraft crashed in a sand bar in the northern part of the district and went up in flames.Read this story in MarathiRead this story in Gujarati<doc-sep>The Indian Air Force's Jaguar that crashed in Gujarat's Kutch is a deep-penetration strike jet Highlights IAF's Jaguar that crashed in Kutch is a deep-penetration strike jet IAF Jaguar aircraft was on a routine training mission Court of inquiry has been ordered into the crash An Indian Air Force (IAF) Jaguar aircraft crashed in Gujarat's Kutch soon after take-off this morning, killing the pilot. Reports suggest the plane flew from the Jamnagar air base and crashed near a village.The aircraft, flown by Air Commodore Sanjay Chauhan, was on a routine training mission, a defence spokesperson said. The plane's debris was strewn on the fields near a village in Kutch, around 340 km from Ahmedabad.The incident comes months after an IAF helicopter crashed in Assam's Majuli island, killing two pilots -- Wing Commander J James and Wing Commander D Vats. The parts of the IAF's Jaguar bomber that crashed in Gujarat "Today morning a Jaguar aircraft on a routine training mission from Jamnagar crashed around 10:30 am," defence spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Manish Ojha said.A court of inquiry has been ordered by the air headquarters to investigate the cause of the crash.The Jaguar is a twin-engine, ground attack aircraft which can penetrate deep behind enemy lines on bombing runs. It has a maximum speed of 1,350 kmph or 1.3 times the speed of sound. The aircraft is ageing since it was inducted into the Indian Air Force in 1979 -- almost four decades ago.<doc-sep>Sanjai Chauhan was an experimental test pilot and recipient of Vayu Sena Medal The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday lost one of its senior active fighter pilots in an air crash. Air Commodore Sanjai Chauhan, Air Officer Commanding of the Jamnagar Air Force station, was piloting a Jaguar fighter on a routine mission when it crashed. “On June 5, 2018, a Jaguar aircraft which was on a routine training sortie crashed at 0945h over Kutch area in Gujarat,” the IAF said in a statement. One IAF source said Air Cmde Chauhan was an experimental test pilot and had flown most of the aircraft in the IAF inventory. “He has flown over 2000 hours on the Jaguar aircraft alone,” he stated. The fighter jet crashed soon after it took off from the Jamnagar air base, a defence spokesperson said. ‘Highly experienced’ Air Cmde Sanjai Chauhan, aged around 50, was a decorated and highly experienced fighter pilot who was a recipient of the Vayu Sena Medal. “During his service, Air Cmde Chauhan held several important posts such as the Commanding Officer of the Test Pilots’ School. He also commanded a fighter squadron of the IAF,” said one of the officials. “He was an ace fighter pilot with a vast flying experience and had flown 17 types of aircraft of the IAF, including Jaguar, Mig-21, Hunter, HPT-32, Iskara, Kiran, Avro-748, AN-32 and Boeing 737,” he said. Air Cmde Chauhan also had the unique experience of flying modern foreign fighter jets such as Rafale, Gripen and Euro Fighter as the leader of evaluation for the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft selection, the official said. Even though active flying goes down beyond certain seniority, it is a practice for senior officers to fly periodically. The IAF has a fleet of 121 Jaguar deep penetration strike fighters which are being upgraded. A long pending proposal to get a new, more powerful engine on the jets is in its final stages. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident. (With inputs from PTI)<doc-sep>Gujarat: Indian Air Force's Jaguar aircraft crashes in Kutch's Mundra, pilot Air Cmde Sanjay Chauhan killed Indian Air Force's Jaguar aircraft today crashed in Gujarat's Kutch, killing the pilot. According to official sources, the Air Force craft had taken off from Jamnagar Airbase for a routine training mission at around 10:30 hours this morning. The pilot Air Commodore Sanjay Chauhan sustained fatal injuries during the crash, the sources said. A Colonel has been ordered to investigate the cause of the accident, they added. Plane crashed near Beraja-Ramaniya Village in Mundra taluka of Kutch Watch video: Latest India News<doc-sep>
By PTI KUTCH: An Indian Air Force Jaguar fighter jet crashed in Gujarat's Kutch district soon after it took off from the Jamnagar air base today, killing a senior officer who was piloting the aircraft, a defence spokesperson said. Air Commodore Sanjai Chauhan, a recipient of the Vayu Sena Medal and the Air Officer Commanding of Jamnagar Air Force Station, who was flying the deep penetration Jaguar fighter jet, died when the plane crashed in a field in Bareja village. The jet was on a routine training mission when it crashed. Chauhan, commissioned in fighter stream of the IAF on December 16, 1989, was a Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) and Experimental Test Pilot with over 3,800 hours of service flying, officials said. "The Jaguar aircraft, on a routine training mission from Jamnagar, crashed at around 10.30 am near Bareja village," said defence spokesperson Lt.Col. Manish Ojha. Air Commodore Sanjai Chauhan sustained fatal injuries in the crash," he said. Chauhan, aged around 50, was a decorated and highly experienced fighter pilot. "During his service, Chauhan had held several important posts such as the Commanding Officer of the Test Pilots' School. He also commanded a fighter squadron of the IAF," said one of the officials. "He was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal in 2010," he said. "He was an ace fighter pilot with a vast flying experience and had flown 17 types of aircraft of the IAF including Jaguar, Mig-21, Hunter, HPT-32, Iskara, Kiran, Avro-748, AN-32 and Boeing 737," he said. Chauhan also had the unique experience of flying modern foreign fighter jets such as Rafale, Gripen and Euro Fighter as the leader of evaluation for the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft selection, the officials said. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered by the air headquarters to investigate the cause of the accident, Ojha said. Some cows grazing in the field were killed after being hit by the jet's debris, locals said. The plane's debris was strewn far and wide on the outskirts of the village and carcasses of the animals were seen lying in the field, they said. Security agencies rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area, the locals said.