M A I N   N E W S

Jaguar crashes in Ambala
Pilot bails out
Rahul Das
Tribune News Service

Ambala, July 22
A Jaguar fighter aircraft crashed within the Air Force Station, Ambala Cantonment, this evening.

This is the fifth incident of a fighter aircraft crashing in Ambala in little more than a year. Incidentally, it is the second incident of a fighter aircraft crashing inside the Air Force station. A Jaguar had crashed within the Air Force station on May 9 last year. Another Jaguar had crashed in a populated locality claiming 13 lives on November 5, 2002.

Today’s incident took place at about 4.30 pm. The extent of injuries to the pilot is not yet known even as some eyewitnesses said that the pilot was evacuated from near the crash site. It is believed that the pilot managed to bail out in time. He was rushed to Military Hospital.

The fighter aircraft reportedly crashed while landing. The aircraft broke into two pieces and the aircraft caught fire. Local villagers heard a loud explosion from within the Air Force station. While the tailpiece of the Jaguar remained upright, the undercarriage of the aircraft flipped over. The wheels could be spotted.

Immediately after the Jaguar crash, there was hectic activity within the Air Force station. Fire engines rushed to the crash site and doused the flames. An ambulance is said to have carried away the pilot.

A resident of Dhankaur village said he heard a loud noise. “There was a loud noise and I saw flames coming from within the Air Force station. I realised that a fighter aircraft had crashed,” he said.

Another villager said even though the air crash is an unfortunate incident, he is grateful to God for saving the villagers from calamity. “If the Jaguar had crashed only a little further from the spot, there would have been a tragedy since our village is located nearby. By the grace of God, we have been saved,” he said.

An officer said although he was not aware of the exact cause of the air crash, there could be several reasons which could have led to the crash. He pointed out that reasons for an air crash could well include technical fault, bird-hit or some failure in equipment.