,
SILIGURI: A MiG-27 jet of the Indian Air Force on a routine training flight crashed into an open field in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district on Thursday morning and the pilot sustained leg injuries while ejecting from the aircraft.
This was the sixth combat aircraft lost by the IAF this year and the fifth accident involving a jet of the Russian- made MiG series.
Earlier reports had said there were two pilots in the MiG-27 that crashed about 36 km from Hasimara airbase at 10.15 am, but an IAF spokesman in Delhi said the jet had only one pilot.
Police officials in Jailpaiguri said the pilot had injured his leg while ejecting from the aircraft and was taken to the Hasimara airbase hospital. The plane caught fire after hitting the ground.
The IAF spokesman said there were no reports of casualties or damage to property on the ground though local police officials said a girl fell unconscious due to loud sound of the crash and was taken to Alipurduar hospital.
Five aircraft of the MiG series, including two MiG-21s and two MiG-29s, are among the six jets lost by the IAF this year. A Mig-29 had crashed into paddy fields near Ambala on September 28 though its pilot bailed out safely. The IAF lost eight jets last year.
