Air Force’s Aerobatics Team Crash during rehearsal In Bengaluru, One Pilot Dead
BANGALURU : Two aircraft of the Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team crashed at the Yelahanka airbase in Bengaluru during rehearsal for Aero India, reports news agency .
One pilot has succumbed to injuries in the Surya Kiran jet crash, while two others are safe, said DGP Fire Services M N Reddi. A video shared by ANI, shows thick, black plumes of smoke rising from the airbase.
Aero India 2019 will be held between February 20 and 24. The IAF Deputy Chief, Air Marshal V.R. Chaudhari, is likely to fly the Rafale fighter jet.
Two jets of the Indian Air Force’s Suryakiran Aerobatic Team collided in Bengaluru a day before the Aero India show begins in the city. Two out of the three pilots of the jets have ejected safely, initial reports said. Details of the third pilot are not known so far.The accident took place at around 11:50 am during a rehearsal session at the Yelahanka airbase in north Bengaluru. ahead of the mega show.
A video showed thick, black plumes of smoke rising from the airbase. A video on local television channels showed the two jets coming down, possibly amid a man oeuvre. Aero India 2019 will be held between February 20 and 24. The stunning formations by the Suryakirans, the Indian Air Force’s dare-devil aerobatic squadron is a regular highlight of the aero show.
Thousands of visitors are expected to attend the five-day biennial event. Bengaluru has been hosting the aero show since it started in 1996. The last Aero India show was held in February 2017. Besides business delegates from the world over, official delegations from a dozen countries will witness the flypast and aerobatic display on the inaugural day. As against 72 aircraft in the previous edition in 2017, only 61 aircraft have registered for flying and static display on the tarmac of the air base this time.
This year, a battery of US Naval assets, including the F/A-18 Super Hornet, will be on display at the aero show as part of strengthening defence cooperation between the two countries. On Day One, a fly-by will be performed by B-52 Stratofortress bombers assigned to the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.
(With inputs from IANS and PTI)
