A prototype of the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. Intermediate Jet Trainer HJT-36 Sitara serial number S-3466 crashed near Krishnagiri about 80km (50mi) south-east of Bangalore around 15:10 local (09:40 UTC).Both pilots Wg Cdr. Patra and Mathur ejected safely, though one of them has suffered some injuries.HAL has constituted a Court of Inquihe Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) developed Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) suffered a huge blow yesterday afternoon when its aircraft that took off from HAL Ariport Bangalore was crashed in Krishnagiri, Tamilnadu. It has come to know that it was third crash of IJT aircraft in the last 4 years.
The incident took place when the aircraft S-3466 was on its routine flight test with Mathur, a group captain of the National Flight Test Centre and Patra, wing commander of Air Force Technical College.
The aircraft was crashed at 3:10 pm at Kelamangalan of Krishnagiri district, Tamil Nadu. Both the pilots have ejected safely before the aircraft crashed.The aircraft crashed in dense forest area and no loss to the civilians property or life has been reported.The aircraft was on routine flight testing when the mishap occurred. An IAF helicopter flew the pilots back to Bangalore, they said. HAL Executive Director (HR) told Deccan Herald that the pilots were taken to the HAL hospital.
The status of the pilots is unknown. HAL maintains that they are safe. The IJT, which was scheduled for an initial operational clearance (IOC), a step closer to being inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF), may not meet the target even this year. This would mean that the programme has got delayed by over half a decade (The programme was sanctioned in 1999).
The crash derails IAF’s plans too, as the IJT was meant to be the backbone of the IAF’s combat pilot training programme, replacing its workhorse Kiran.
Major setback
The first prototype of the IJT had suffered a major setback as the canopy of the aircraft flew open during take-off causing serious damage to the aircraft in the 2007 edition of Aero India. Just before the 2009 Aero India, its second prototype had landed on its belly while rehearsing for the show, causing considerable damage to the structure of the plane.The aircraft was then piloted by Retired Squadron Leader Baldev Singh and Wing Commander C Subramaniam.Although HAL maintains that such mishaps are part of any flight test process, the increasing number of crashes of HAL-manufactured aircraft has left India’s leading PSU with a bad reputation.
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