IAF's Sukhoi fighter crashes in Nashik, pilots eject safely

IAF Sukhoi fighter crash: A Sukhoi aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed in Maharashtra's Nasik on Tuesday, according to Defence officials. The aircraft was with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for overhauling. Both the pilots of the aircraft managed to eject and are safe, as per the Defence officials.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited said in a post on X, "A Su-30 MKI crashed while on test sortie from HAL Nashik at Sirsa gaon. Both the pilots of HAL have ejected to safety. A technical snag was reported by the pilots. The exact reason will only be known after a detailed investigation."

The pilots involved in the crash included one IAF pilot on deputation to the HAL while the other one was a flight test engineer from HAL.

The aircraft was being overhauled and prima facie technical issues caused the crash but exact details would be ascertained after a detailed probe.