
IAF trainer crash: Aircraft had 'technical fault', claims brother of deceased IAF pilot
IAF Jet Crash: A day after the Indian Air Force's Jaguar trainer aircraft crashed in Rajasthan's Churu claiming two pilots, Gyanendra, elder brother of deceased Squadron Leader Lokender Singh Sindhu said that as per the information, there was a technical fault with the craft as a result of which, it started crashing over a densely populated area.
The elder brother of the deceased pilot said, 'He made the highest sacrifice that a soldier can make for his country. He died while serving his country. He died while saving civilians. My family and I are very proud of him. He is survived by his wife, a one-month-old son, his sister, mother, father, and (paternal) grandparents. His last leave was on 30 June. We had a family function that day to celebrate the birth of his son. He rejoined work on 1 July. We talked on text three hours before the accident and on a video call the night before.'
'As per the information we got, there was a technical fault with the aircraft because of which it started crashing over a densely populated area. They managed to fly away from that area, but in the process, their aircraft got very close to the ground. In a Jaguar Trainer, if you go below 500 feet, then you cannot eject. That's why the copilots could not eject from the plane,' he further said.
Cousin of the second deceased, Flight Lt Rishi Raj Singh, said, 'The news was very shocking for our family. We had never seen his father cry before. Rishi was very young. His career had just begun. He was selected in the NDA in his first attempt. He was very bright. He had a good nature and was a great brother.'
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday expressed sorrow over the death of two pilots who were onboard the Indian Air Force Jaguar fighter aircraft that crashed near Churu.
In a post on X, Singh said that their service to the nation will always be remembered.
'Deeply pained by the loss of two Air Warriors due to an accident of IAF's Jaguar trainer aircraft near Churu in Rajasthan. Their service to the nation will always be remembered. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of sadness,' the Defence Minister said.
A twin-seater trainer version of the Jaguar fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed on Wednesday near Churu district of Rajasthan, resulting in the death of two pilots onboard.
The Indian Air Force posted on its official handle on X about the casualties in the accident. IAF further said that no damage has been caused to any civil property, and a court of inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident.
'An IAF Jaguar Trainer aircraft met with an accident during a routine training mission and crashed near Churu in Rajasthan today. Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident. No damage to any civil property has been reported. IAF deeply regrets the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families in this time of grief. A court of inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident,' the Indian Air Force posted.
(Only the headline has been reworked by India.com staff. Copy comes from an agency feed)

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
On 65th Founder's Day, Sainik School announces new infra
Lucknow: Capt. Manoj Kumar Pandey UP Sainik School celebrated its 65th Founder's Day with a vision for dynamic growth and modernisation. Chief Guest Col DS Chauhan highlighted the school's ambitious plans to double its cadet strength from 450 to 900, underscoring its commitment to nurturing future officers of the Armed forces. He announced the addition of three new hostels, an indoor swimming pool, a gymnasium, academic and administrative blocks, and a dedicated mess for girl cadets. This large-scale infrastructure expansion aims to provide world-class facilities while meeting growing demand. Col Chauhan also praised the school's increasing number of NDA entries, reinforcing its status among the top Sainik Schools in the country.


Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
IAF expresses concerns, PMC intensifies garbage collection near Pune airport and Air Force Station
1 2 3 Pune: The civic body has intensified its garbage collection efforts around the city airport following concerns raised by the Air Force Station Pune, which is operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF). The issue of garbage collection and disposal became a flashpoint at Pune airport after two incidents involving stray dogs on the runway disrupted civil flight operations earlier this year. Bird strikes also pose operational challenges for IAF, which operates two squadrons of Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft at the station. The presence of this urban wildlife is encouraged by uncollected waste, it had been pointed out. IAF officials communicated several issues regarding this situation to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and recommended immediate and long-term measures to address the concerns through a formal letter. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune The missive indicated that the accumulation of garbage and overall unclean surroundings near Pune Air Force Station raised concerns for both civil and military flights in the area. A senior IAF officer emphasised the need for prompt action to ensure smooth flying operations, especially considering the increasing volume of civil flights at Pune airport. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Dementia Has Been Linked To a Common Habit. Do You Do It? Memory Health Learn More Undo "Generally, IAF schedules its training flights in mornings during the week, and any incidents, such as bird strikes, could disrupt the entire training schedule. Although IAF has a trained bird control team, challenges still arise at times. So, maintaining a clean environment is the paramount factor for air operations," the officer told TOI. In response, PMC has developed a comprehensive plan, increasing garbage collection from once to thrice a day around the Air Force Station, said Sandeep Kadam, head of the PMC's solid waste management department. "We have also assigned a team to collect garbage at night and maintain daily records of their activities. A nodal officer was designated to oversee the entire operation. Civic teams are now collecting garbage within a 4km radius of the airport," Kadam told TOI. Civic officials claimed that they have adopted a multi-pronged strategy to tackle this issue. "We have roped in a dedicated team of 15 workers to lift garbage daily in three shifts. They clean and sweep the areas in a 4km radius. Private plot owners here have also been told to clean their areas to avoid a penalty," said a PMC official. Localities like Kalwadi vasti, Lohegaon gaothan, Forest Park, and others host hundreds of houses. "Daily collection of dry and wet garbage is about two tonne. It is a massive exercise as our personnel have to collect it from different locations. We have also urged citizens not to throw trash in open areas and dispose of it at designated places only," said Dhanshree Jagdale, divisional sanitary inspector of Nagar Road ward office. Jagdale claimed that they work in tandem with airport authorities and the Air Force Station. "Coordinated efforts are the need of the hour to address this issue completely. We have also increased vehicles for garbage collection and share details daily with IAF and the airport authority. We are working on the recommendations suggested by IAF," she said. Meanwhile, PMC's veterinary department head Sarika Funde told TOI that they have started a sterilisation and vaccination drive for stray dogs in the area over last ten days. "We have also asked volunteers to feed dogs 200m away from the airport. Earlier, we would send our dog-catching vehicle only on Saturday. Now, we send it on Wednesday as well. As per our observation, there are about 70 stray dogs in and around the airport," she said. Pune: The civic body has intensified its garbage collection efforts around the city airport following concerns raised by the Air Force Station Pune, which is operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF). The issue of garbage collection and disposal became a flashpoint at Pune airport after two incidents involving stray dogs on the runway disrupted civil flight operations earlier this year. Bird strikes also pose operational challenges for IAF, which operates two squadrons of Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft at the station. The presence of this urban wildlife is encouraged by uncollected waste, it had been pointed out. IAF officials communicated several issues regarding this situation to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and recommended immediate and long-term measures to address the concerns through a formal letter. The missive indicated that the accumulation of garbage and overall unclean surroundings near Pune Air Force Station raised concerns for both civil and military flights in the area. A senior IAF officer emphasised the need for prompt action to ensure smooth flying operations, especially considering the increasing volume of civil flights at Pune airport. "Generally, IAF schedules its training flights in mornings during the week, and any incidents, such as bird strikes, could disrupt the entire training schedule. Although IAF has a trained bird control team, challenges still arise at times. So, maintaining a clean environment is the paramount factor for air operations," the officer told TOI. In response, PMC has developed a comprehensive plan, increasing garbage collection from once to thrice a day around the Air Force Station, said Sandeep Kadam, head of the PMC's solid waste management department. "We have also assigned a team to collect garbage at night and maintain daily records of their activities. A nodal officer was designated to oversee the entire operation. Civic teams are now collecting garbage within a 4km radius of the airport," Kadam told TOI. Civic officials claimed that they have adopted a multi-pronged strategy to tackle this issue. "We have roped in a dedicated team of 15 workers to lift garbage daily in three shifts. They clean and sweep the areas in a 4km radius. Private plot owners here have also been told to clean their areas to avoid a penalty," said a PMC official. Localities like Kalwadi vasti, Lohegaon gaothan, Forest Park, and others host hundreds of houses. "Daily collection of dry and wet garbage is about two tonne. It is a massive exercise as our personnel have to collect it from different locations. We have also urged citizens not to throw trash in open areas and dispose of it at designated places only," said Dhanshree Jagdale, divisional sanitary inspector of Nagar Road ward office. Jagdale claimed that they work in tandem with airport authorities and the Air Force Station. "Coordinated efforts are the need of the hour to address this issue completely. We have also increased vehicles for garbage collection and share details daily with IAF and the airport authority. We are working on the recommendations suggested by IAF," she said. Meanwhile, PMC's veterinary department head Sarika Funde told TOI that they have started a sterilisation and vaccination drive for stray dogs in the area over last ten days. "We have also asked volunteers to feed dogs 200m away from the airport. Earlier, we would send our dog-catching vehicle only on Saturday. Now, we send it on Wednesday as well. As per our observation, there are about 70 stray dogs in and around the airport," she said.


India.com
3 days ago
- India.com
Air India Crash: How did engines fail, why its not mentioned in....? expert raises questions on report
Air India Crash: How did engines fail, why its not mentioned in…? expert raises questions on report Air India Plane Crash: More than a month has passed, but the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad still remains a mystery. The initial report released by the investigation agency not only seems incomplete, but answers to several questions related to the accident are still to be found. Former Indian Air Force officer and aviation expert Sanjeev Kapoor has raised serious questions about the recently published report. He stated that it is still a mystery what actually happened in the cockpit. Is The AAIB Report Incomplete? Kapoor has raised serious questions on the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) report, terming it incomplete. He has also raised questions on the delay of publishing the report. During an interview with India Today, he stated that no pilot gives a 'Mayday' call so easily. The Mayday call means the situation was very gruesome and there is no doubt that both the engines had failed. He raised the question how both the engines failed? The report doesn't mention about engines failure. How The Fuel Supply Was Cut Off? Not Mentioned In The Report? The AAIB report states that, few seconds before the crash, the pilot sent a distress call back-to-back three times. As mentioned in the report, the plane took off at 1:38:39 pm (IST) and just 26 seconds later at 08:09:05, the pilot gave the emergency message 'MAYDAY… MAYDAY… MAYDAY…' three times. As per the conversation recorded in the cockpit voice recorder, one pilot questions the other – 'Why did you stop the fuel supply?' The other pilot replied I did not stop it. The report says that the fuel control switches (of both engines) changed from 'run' to 'cutoff' mode in the same second. As the fuel was cut off, the engines stopped immediately, and the plane lost altitude, leading to the deadly crash. Sanjeev Kapoor raised questions that it is absurd that any sensible pilot would turn off the fuel himself after take-off. The pilot flew the plane manually, he then then it to 170 degrees and turned off the engine? He said this does not match any logic. Why Is The Information In The Report Incomplete? Raising questions on the delay in the investigation. Kapoor said the cockpit data was downloaded three weeks ago, so why did it take 20 days for the report to publish. The information in the report is incomplete. He said a more in-depth analysis should have been done if the authorities took such a long time. RAT System Was Activated, But Only One Engine Could Start A preliminary investigation by the AAIB indicates that following engine failure, the aircraft's emergency Ram Air Turbine (RAT) system automatically deployed, supplying some hydraulic power. While the crew attempted to restart both engines, only one was successfully restarted. But the aircraft lost altitude and speed. This resulted in a crash into a hostel building full of students. System Failure Under Investigation The report mentions that a probe of the pilot's mental condition, automation system failure and fuel supply system is still underway. Experts say that deliberate switching off of the fuel control switch might hints technical problems, automatic system malfunctions, or other unspecified factors which are not mentioned in the current report. The investigation is still underway.