Indian Air Force's training aircraft crashes in northern India, both pilots safe: police

Indian Air Force says an inquiry is underway to ascertain the cause of the incident.

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(FILE) IAF personnel examine a damaged two-seater Microlight aircraft after it made an emergency landing at a park in New Delhi, October 6 2013. / Reuters

An Indian Air Force training aircraft crashed in the northern Uttar Pradesh state, police said on Wednesday, with both pilots emerging unharmed.

On a routine sortie from air force station Bamrauli near Prayagraj, a Microlight aircraft faced a technical malfunction and was "safely force landed in an uninhabited area, ensuring no damage to civil life or property", the Indian Air Force said on X.

"Both the pilots (who were) on board are safe," it said, adding that a probe into the cause of the accident is under way.

Manish Shandilya, a local police officer, said the training aircraft "crashed after its engine developed a sudden technical snag", the Press Trust of India reported.