Kalaikunda (West Bengal): One Hawk aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) met with an accident at Kalaikunda in West Bengal on Tuesday during a training sortie.
According to an official statement issued by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), both pilots ejected safely. "There has been no loss of life or damage to civilian property on the ground. A Court of Inquiry has been constituted to find out the cause of the accident," the statement said.
"The aircraft crashed in the Diyasa area under the Kharagpur local police station at around 3.35 pm. After some time, senior Indian Air Force officials reached the spot," sources said.
The Hawk trainer aircraft is a jet-powered advanced trainer used by various air forces around the world, including the IAF. Manufactured by BAE Systems, the Hawk is designed to provide training to pilots transitioning to high-performance fighter aircraft.
Sukal Singh, a resident of the Murkuniya village, said, "We were at home. Suddenly we heard a strange sound. Everyone in the village started saying that an aircraft had broken. We ran out of the house and saw an aircraft, which met with an accident."
Meanwhile, sources said that on Monday afternoon, during a trainee sortie, an aircraft missed the target and dropped a bomb in the paddy field adjacent to Chamatitanga village under the Sancrail police station.
