S P O T L I G H T

MiG catches fire during take-off
Srinagar, June 7
A MiG-27 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force was today charred on the ground at the technical area of the airport here, with the pilot being able to extricate himself. The ground attack fighter had just switched on the engines to take-off on patrol mission when the aircraft caught fire due to a technical snag, Air force sources said. The Indian Airlines has not yet decided about the operation of routine flights between Srinagar-Jammu and Delhi-Srinagar. The mishap occurred at 11.47 am. The pilot, Flying Officer Thakur, suffered injuries. The IAF has ordered a court of inquiry into the incident. The accident comes a month after a MiG-21 aircraft crashed on a bank building in Jalandhar in which a number of civilians were killed. PTI