Sukhoi and Mirage collide in mid-air; one pilot dead

A pilot was killed while two others managed to eject to safety after a rare mid-air collision is believed to have occurred between two fighter jets on Saturday during a routine training exercise. The accident involved a Su 30MKI and Mirage 2000, leading to the death of Wing Commander Hanumanth Rao Sarathi who was piloting the latter.

The wreckages of the aircraft were found a large distance apart, indicating that the Su 30MKI pilots managed to retain some degree of control to manage an ejection. Air Force officials refrained from commenting on the details but said that the two fighter jets were on a routine operational flying mission and were involved in an accident near Gwalior.

"One of the three pilots involved, sustained fatal injuries. An inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause of the accident. The IAF deeply regrets to inform that Wg Cdr Hanumanth Rao Sarathi suffered fatal injuries during the accident," officials said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed his deep anguish over the loss. "My deepest condolences to his bereaved family. We stand by his family in this difficult hour," he tweeted.

Wing Commander Sarathi is believed to have been attached to the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) in Gwalior that trains top air force pilots for aerial combat. The Air Force has initiated a court of inquiry into the incident that will look at all available data collected from the two aircraft as well as information available with the flight controllers. The exact cause of the accident will be established by the board of inquiry that will be led by a senior officer.

Mid-air collisions involving military aircraft have been very rare, with just a handful of such incidents taking place in the last two decades. Given the proximity at which operational flying drills take place, some of which practise close air combat, the risk of a collision is ever present.