A MiG-21 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force on Tuesday crashed near Halwara air base in Punjab, but the pilot bailed out safely. The crash took place at around 11.15 hours (local time) just outside the Sidwan Khas Range in Halwara in north Indian state Punjab, 33 km from here. "A MiG-21 Type-96 aircraft crashed around 11.15 hours near S K Range near Halwara air base. The pilot ejected from the cockpit safely," an IAF spokesperson said in New Delhi. "The pilot had flown the plane from Pathankot air base for a routine armament training sortie at the range in Halwara when the mishap occurred," he was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India. With Tuesday's crash, the IAF has lost three fighter jet planes this year, the Press Trust of India reported. It had lost a MiG-27 warplane on February 16 this year in a crash near Hashimara and a MiG-21 Type-77 fighter aircraft on February 19 at Bagdogra, both in West Bengal state in east India.
