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IAF’s Jaguar fighter jet catches fire during take off in Ambala, pilot safe

Hindustan Times | By, Chandigarh
Sep 14, 2016 05:49 PM IST

A Jaguar aircraft of the Indian Air Force caught fire minutes before take off at Ambala air base on Tuesday evening.

A Jaguar aircraft of the Indian Air Force caught fire minutes before take off at Ambala air base on Tuesday evening.

A Jaguar aircraft of the Indian Air Force caught fire minutes before take off at Ambala air base on Tuesday evening.(Representative image)
A Jaguar aircraft of the Indian Air Force caught fire minutes before take off at Ambala air base on Tuesday evening.(Representative image)

Defence sources said a crash crew however, managed to rescue the pilot in time.

The aircraft was in the middle of the runway when the incident took place.

A Court of Inquiry (CoI) has been ordered into the accident.

“Today evening at Ambala airfield a Jaguar aircraft aborted take off while getting airborne for a routing night flying mission. The pilot carried out safe quick exit. The aircraft caught fire,” said public relation officer wing commander Anupam Banerjee.

The Ambala air base, which is located along the Chandigarh-Delhi highway, houses fighter planes like Jaguars and MiG 21 (Bison). The air force station has high strategic value as it is close to the India-Pakistan border.

This is not the first time that an accident happened with a Jaguar aircraft at the Ambala air base. A bomb loaded on a Jaguar aircraft was offloaded after the plane developed a technical snag in 2013. The bomb exploded at the Air Force station and its splinters damaged windowpanes of many houses in Baldev Nagar, Dhulkote, Civil Lines and Cantonment area.

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