IAF training aircraft crashes near Chennai; pilot ejects safely

CHENNAI: A training aircraft belonging to the Indian Air Force crashed on an empty stretch of land near the salt pans on the outskirts of Chennai on Friday afternoon. The pilot ejected to safety.

Police said the single-seater aircraft crashed around 2.30pm in a slushy piece of land behind a salt factory at Upallam, abutting the Thandalam Bypass near Thiruporur. In an official statement, the IAF said a Pilatus PC-7, which was on a routine training mission, crashed in Chennai and that a court of inquiry was ordered to determine the cause of the crash.