Jaisalmer: A Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas of the Indian Air Force crashed yesterday during an operational sortie in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer and the pilot ejected safely from the aircraft.
A video has emerged on the social media, showing the fighter jet flying at a low altitude and the pilot opening the parachute and coming towards the ground.
A twitterati Sumit has shared the video on his social media platform X.
#BreakingNews
An Indian Air Force LCA Tejas fighter has crashed in Jaisalmer. Pilot thankfully ejected safely. This is the first crash of the indigenous jet since it first flew 23 years ago. pic.twitter.com/vrhbrQQNOE— (@OyeeSumit) March 12, 2024
A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.
This is the first-ever crash of a light combat aircraft in 23 years.
Meanwhile, Martin-Baker said in a tweet today, an Indian Air Force Tejas LCA Aircraft crashed during an operational training sortie near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The pilot successfully ejected using the Martin-Baker IN16G Seat.
Today, an Indian Air Force Tejas LCA Aircraft crashed during an operational training sortie near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The pilot successfully ejected using the Martin-Baker IN16G Seat.#MartinBaker #EngineeringForLife pic.twitter.com/Yf8qEsAgSd
— Martin-Baker (@MB_EjectEject) March 12, 2024
Tejas the fighter jet uses British-manufactured, Martin Baker, zero-zero ejection seats. The seats are designed to eject pilots from zero position to a considerable height to deploy the parachutes.
The zero-zero capability was developed to help pilots escape from unrecoverable situations during low-altitude or low-speed flights as well as ground mishaps during takeoff or landing.
Ms Kalinga