Indian Air Force training aircraft crashes into pond in Prayagraj; pilots safe

A small Indian Air Force (IAF) training aircraft crashed into a pond in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, on Wednesday, with both pilots safely escaping the incident using parachutes.

According to Indian media reports, the single-engine aircraft, carrying a senior pilot and a junior trainee, had taken off from a nearby airbase for a routine training mission. Contact with the control tower was lost during the flight, prompting a search operation. Locals later reported seeing the plane descend into a pond near the rear of K.E. College.

Eyewitnesses described the aircraft as “swaying in the air like dry leaves” before it partially submerged in the pond. Rescue teams confirmed that the crashed plane matched the description of the missing aircraft.

The two pilots reportedly jumped from the aircraft mid-flight after detecting a technical fault. They landed safely with minor injuries and were taken to a nearby military hospital for treatment.

The IAF has formed an inquiry committee to investigate the cause of the accident. The exact reason for the crash is yet to be determined.

While such incidents have occurred previously in India, reports suggest that findings from past inquiry committees are rarely made public, and preventive measures have often been limited.