Bangalore: A Surya Kiran jet trainer of Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed during a routine flight in Bidar town in Karnataka Wednesday morning, killing the pilot, Wing Commander R.S. Dhaliwal, officials said.
"The trainer was on a regular training sortie when it crashed at 8.45 a.m. a few kilometres away from the Bidar air force base," a defence spokesperson said in Bangalore.
"The pilot died on the spot and IAF has ordered a court of inquiry into the incident," said an IAF official in New Delhi.
The spokesperson could not confirm reports that the trainer caught fire while on flight, causing the crash.
"We are waiting for the details," she said.
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