Tuesday, December 13 2005 16:41 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Guwahati: A MIG-21 aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed near Assam's Tezpur airbase today (Dec 13, 2005), with pilot Squadron Leader S Bansal ejecting safely.

The aircraft developed some trouble soon after taking off from the airbase at 1156 hrs on a routine training flight and plunged to a paddy field in Pithakhowa area, an IAF spokesman said.

"There was no human casualty in the crash," he said, adding, "The IAF has ordered a code of inquiry into the accident."

The entire area has been cordoned off and senior airforce and civil officials have rushed to the area.

The crashed MIG 21 was Type 77, which is in the process of being phased out from the IAF. Since 2001, 21 MIG 21s have crashed.