IAF Pilatus training aircraft crashes near Tambaram; pilot ejects safely

An IAF (Indian Air Force) Pilatus PC-7 trainer aircraft crashed near Tambaram, Chennai on Friday, 14 November, during what officials described as a routine training mission. The pilot managed to eject in time and escaped safely, the IAF confirmed in an official statement.

The incident took place at around 2.00 pm, shortly after the aircraft took off from the Tambaram Air Force Station — one of the IAF’s oldest and busiest training bases. Locals reported hearing a loud noise before spotting smoke rising from an open field on the outskirts of the base.

In its brief media release, the IAF stated: “An Indian Air Force aircraft ‘Pilatus PC-7’, which was on a routine training mission, crashed near Tambaram in Chennai on 14 November. The pilot ejected safely.” No injuries to civilians on the ground were reported.

The IAF has ordered a court of inquiry to determine what caused the mid-air emergency.

Mechanical failure, bird hit and technical malfunction are among the routine possibilities that investigators will examine, though officials emphasised it is too early to assign any cause.

The crash adds to the tally of incidents involving training aircraft in the past decade, though the Pilatus PC-7 — inducted in 2013 to modernise the IAF’s basic flying training fleet — has generally been considered reliable. The aircraft is used extensively at Tambaram, where hundreds of cadets undergo Stage-I training each year.

Eyewitnesses near the crash site said they saw the pilot parachuting to safety moments before the aircraft hit the ground. Security personnel reached the area swiftly, cordoned it off, and initiated clearance operations as per protocol.

The condition of the pilot is described as stable. Further details about the nature of the sortie, aircraft history, or preliminary findings are expected only after the inquiry progresses.

The wreckage has been secured and the crash site will remain under guard until the investigation team completes its inspection.

With PTI inputs