IAF officers said their MiG—29 fighter jet crashed near Agra during routine training due to a “system malfunction.” 

As the incident occurred the pilot maneuvered the aircraft to ensure there was no damage to life or property on land before ejecting safely.  Further, an inquiry has been set to discuss the cause of the crash. 

Around 4:20 p.m. (IST), Wing Commander Manish Mishra's fighter jet was engaged in a regular training flight when it malfunctioned and crashed in Sonika village, which is located inside the Kagraaul police limits of the Agra district.

Defense officials reported that the plane was on its way to Agra when the incident occurred. The assistant commissioner of police (Saniya) Devesh Sigh said, "The pilot and co-pilot have been rescued and admitted to the district hospital." Further ensuring the people’s safety, he said that he was at the accident site with a rescue operation underway. 

"There was a huge fire after the crash and we are trying to douse the fire,"  a Kagarol station house officer said. He also added that the plane took off from Adampur in Punjab and was going to Agra to participate in an exercise.

A MiG-29 fighter plane had crashed close to Barmer, Rajasthan as well, back in September. According to the IAF, the pilot had to eject due to a serious technical issue that caused the crash. There were no recorded fatalities or property losses, and the pilot was safe.