Tejas IAF plane’s fuel drop tank falls mid air during sortie in Tamil Nadu

The Tejas IAF plane landed safely after the incident. No damage was reported on ground.

The fuel drop tank of a Tejas aircraft of the Indian Air Force fell off mid-air during a routine sortie from the Sulur air base near Coimbatore on Tuesday morning.

Seen here are the remains of the dropped fuel tank. (ANI Photo)

The aircraft landed safely after the incident. No damage was reported on ground.

Labourers in Irugur village were shocked to see the 1200-litre petrol tank fall from the sky. Police said it caused a three-foot deep crater and a minor fire, news agency PTI reported.

Air Force officials said the cause of the incident is being investigated.

Last month, flight operations at Goa’s Dabolim International Airport were stopped for two hours after a detachable fuel tank attached to a MiG-29K aircraft fell on the runway, spilling fuel and sparking a fire.