Woman pilot safe as IAF aircraft crashes
A 22-year-old trainee pilot had a miraculous escape when the Kiran Mark-I aircraft of the Indian Air Force, which she was flying crashed close to the busy Rajiv Rahadari Highway on Friday afternoon in Siddipet district.
The trainee pilot, Sakshi Rehana, took the help of passers-by on the highway to call the IAF command control room and the ambulance after the crash.
According to the police, the aircraft took off from its base at Hakimpet at around 12 pm on a routine flight. While flying across Duddeda in Siddipet district, the aircraft developed a technical snag and the pilot lost control.
Ms Rehana managed to eject out of the aircraft a few minutes before it crashed in an open area.
“She tried to eject and in the process, fell in the open area and the aircraft crashed around 100 metres away from where she landed,” said V Shiva Kumar, Police Commissioner of Siddipet.
A 22-year-old trainee pilot had a miraculous escape when the Kiran Mark-I aircraft of the Indian Air Force, which she was flying crashed close to the busy Rajiv Rahadari Highway on Friday afternoon in Siddipet district.
V. Shiva Kumar, police commissioner of Siddipet, said that the aircraft broke into two parts on impact and then caught fire.
“Parts of the aircraft were scattered all over the area. Some were totally burnt,” he added.
The aircraft came down very close to the Rajiv Rahadari Highway. Had it come down just 70 metres away, it would have hit the highway, resulting in possibly many casualties.
The trainee pilot sustained injuries on her legs, was given first aid and airlifted back to base, said police.
Two choppers from the air force station had arrived soon after the incident.
“The officials concerned have begun an inquiry and are in the process of collecting the wreckage. The area is cordoned off to avoid public movement,” the commissioner said.