Indian Mirage crashes in exercise

Indian Mirage crashes in exercise

A French-built Indian Air Force Mirage 2000 fighter jet has crashed after taking off from the Gwalior base in central India.
The pilot ejected safely and the plane crashed in a sparsely populated area.

The crash is the second involving a Mirage 2000 in India in less than a month, and the fifth since they became part of the air force in the 1980s.

The Indian Air Force is one of the largest in the world, but has been criticised for its poor safety record.

“The pilots got airborne for an exercise mission but they experienced some technical fault in the aircraft and they wanted to land,” Squadron Leader Mahesh Upasani told the Reuters news agency.

“But they could not land the plane and ejected safely before it crashed near the base,” he said.

The crash – during joint exercises with the Singaporean air force – is the latest in a series of setbacks for the Indian Air Force.

A Mirage 2000 crashed last month after the aircraft reportedly lost its nose wheel in mid-flight.

Several British-designed Jaguars crashed in quick succession earlier this year.

India’s ageing MiG-21s have an appalling safety record – more than 30 have crashed in the past 18 months alone.

In March, India ordered 66 Hawk jet trainers aircraft from Britain.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3736008.stm
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According to another report:

It was the second crash in three weeks of one of India’s French-made Mirage aircraft. In both Tuesday’s crash and one on Sept 23, a dropped wheel was reported, the pilots ejected to safety and the planes crashed in the same part of central India

Two dropped wheels from the same type of a/c within 3 weeks!!!!

What’s the hell is the IAF maintenance guys doing?!?