Not again! MiG-21 trainer aircraft crashes in Rajasthan's Barmer

Jaipur: A MiG-21 trainer aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed in Rajasthan's Barmer district Saturday but both the pilots were able to eject safely.

The MiG-21 T-69 aircraft, which took off from the Uttarlai airforce station in Barmer, crashed near the airbase, defense spokesperson Lt Col Manish Ojha said.

Both the pilots ejected safely, he said.

No damage on the ground was reported, Ojha said, adding a court of inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

"The plane crashed in an open field near Malio ki Dhani, about 20 km from the city," Superintendent of Police, Barmer, Gagandeep Singla said.

According to Wikipedia, since 1970, more than 170 Indian pilots and 40 civilians have been killed in MiG-21 accidents in India. At least 14 MiG-21s have crashed between 2010 and 2013. Over half of the 840 aircraft built between 1966 and 1984 were lost to crashes, a Wikipedia page on the aircraft says.