Pilots Eject Safely After Mirage 2000 Trainer Crash in Madhya Pradesh, Investigation Underway

Two Indian Air Force pilots had a narrow escape on Thursday when their Mirage 2000 trainer jet crashed in Madhya Pradesh. The pilots were on a routine training flight when something went wrong, forcing them to eject moments before the plane went down in the Shivpuri district. Both the pilots are safe, and there were no casualties on the ground. The plane, a powerful workhorse of the Air Force that even flew missions in the 2019 Balakot airstrikes, started having problems.

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A technical issue may be the reason for the crash. The Air Force is taking this seriously and has ordered a full investigation to figure out the precise cause. They’ve secured the crash site, and investigators are already hard at work.

This incident, however, shines a light on a bigger worry and problem. In recent times there has been a good number of Air Force planes having accidents. A recent report by a group of lawmakers, the Standing Committee on Defence, pointed out a worrying trend. They found that the Air Force had 34 plane crashes between 2017 and 2022.

Some years were worse than others. 2018-19 saw a whopping 11 crashes, the highest in that period. Things got a bit better in the following years, but then in 2021-22, the number jumped back up to nine. One of the most heartbreaking incidents was the helicopter crash in December 2021 that tragically killed General Bipin Rawat, the Chief of Defence Staff, along with 12 others. That crash was ultimately blamed on bad weather that confused the pilot. The report found that many of these crashes (19 out of 34) happened because of human error. Another nine were caused by technical problems with the planes themselves. Other factors, like birds hitting the planes or unexpected weather, played a role in the rest.

This latest Mirage 2000 crash adds another layer of concern. The Air Force is always working to get newer, better planes, but these things take time. The most recent crash of a Mirage 2000 shows that it's absolutely crucial to make sure these planes, both old and new, are as safe for the brave pilots to fly them. The safety of our pilots and those on the ground has to be the top priority. The investigation needs to speed up with transparency, and the results should show the path to more safety.