IAF trainer aircraft crashes near Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: A trainer aircraft of the Air Force Academy, Hakimpet here crashed on the outskirts of the city on Monday leaving its pilot injured. The single-seater Kiran trainer aircraft reportedly developed a technical snag mid-air and burst into flames after the pilot ejected himself out. Luckily, the burning aircraft landed in an agricultural field causing no civilian casualties. ``The aircraft fell in agricultural fields and no one was working there at that time,’’ a woman working in a nearby field, who was an eye-witness to the mishap, told the police.According to the Cyberabad police, the aircraft was being flown by a trainee, Raj Kumar Herojit, and it took off from the academy at 4.40 pm. ``Just after 5 pm, the aircraft, flying at medium height, burst into flames in mid-air with a loud noise and crashed into an agricultural field at Bommarasipet village, about 7 km from the academy, in Shamirpet police limits,’’ Pet Basheerabad assistant commissioner of police D Sivaramakrishna said.“The pilot, noticing the technical snag, ejected himself with the help of a parachute. Unfortunately, the descending parachute got tangled in power lines and its threads snapped. As a result, the pilot fell down with a thud. The trainee pilot suffered injuries on the spinal chord and was shifted to the military hospital. By the time police and  academy officials reached the place the aircraft had been reduced to ashes. Had the parachute not got stuck in the electric wires, the pilot would have landed on the ground safely,’’ the ACP said.