CHANDIGARH: An IAF MiG-29 fighter jet crashed at Chuhrpur village in Nawanshahr district on Friday.
The pilot was able to bail out safely at the adjacent Rurki Khas village that falls in Hoshiarpur district.
According to an IAF statement, the aircraft had got airborne from a base near Jalandhar at 10.45 am and developed a technical snag after the take-off.
Saving the residential areas, the pilot manoeuvred the aircraft to the empty fields where it crashed as the pilot was unable to control it.
The wheat fields caught fire after the crash, which was later controlled. Flames covered the debris of the crashed plane and small explosions were heard minutes after the crash.
The pilot ejected safely but ended up with minor injuries.
Seeing the aircraft crashing, the people of the village working in the fields ran towards the spot.
The pilot was helped by the villagers and information was given to the police and the administration.
The airbase was informed and soon a helicopter from the airbase rescued the pilot.
A court of inquiry has been ordered to establish the exact cause of the mishap.
MiG-29 is primarily an air defence and air superiority fighter. The IAF operates three squadrons of this Soviet-origin fighter that entered the IAF in the 1980s. Some of these are based at Adampur in Punjab and Jamnagar.
The IAF has recently upgraded these aircraft to enhance their combat potential and give them a multi-role capability.
The IAF has lost several MiG 29s in earlier crashes.