CHENNAI: A small trainer aircraft belonging to the Tambaram Air Force Station crashed following a midair technical malfunction, near Tiruporur on Friday afternoon. While the pilot managed to eject safely, the aircraft crashed close to a salt factory.
According to initial reports, the aircraft had taken off from the Tambaram Air Force Base in the morning for a routine training. Around 2.45 pm, residents near the factory in the Uppalam area saw the aircraft descending rapidly before it crashed and exploded, sending smoke billowing into the sky.
Local police and fire personnel from Tiruporur rushed to the spot. The wreckage was found scattered across the salt field, and no civilians were injured as the crash occurred far from any residential zone.
The aircraft was reportedly piloted by Suban Sharma, a trainee from Uttar Pradesh who was undergoing advanced flight training. During the flight, the aircraft developed a critical snag, making it impossible to sustain altitude. The pilot immediately alerted the Air Traffic Control (ATC) at Tambaram and initiated emergency procedures.
When the aircraft became uncontrollable, he made a parachute jump, landing safely within a few kilometres of the crash site.
Senior IAF officials from the Tambaram Air Force Base soon arrived at the crash site on a rescue helicopter and inspected the wreckage and verified the condition of the crew.
The pilot was airlifted to a nearby military hospital for medical evaluation, and officials later confirmed he did not sustain serious injuries.
Manoranjani Venkatesan, who lives near the salt company, said she was watching the TV when she heard a loud sound. "I ran outside, followed the sound and ascertained the location of the crash. I saw things thrown up in the air and now realise they were parts of the aircraft and the factory. Birds, too, seemed distressed by the noise," she said.
KS Sabari Prabhakaran, a Class 11 student, said he and his friends saw the pilot safely landing his parachute on the road. “Since it was Children's Day, we did not have any lessons and were watching the road when we saw the man landing," he said.
Police from Tiruporur station surrounded the area, and IAF investigators are probing the cause of the malfunction. The wreckage has been secured and debris samples have been collected for forensic analysis.