CHENNAI: A Pilatus PC-7 training aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF), which took off from the Tambaram Air Force Station on a routine training sortie, crashed near the salt-pan industrial area between Mamallapuram and Thiruporur in Chengalpattu, south of Chennai, on Friday afternoon (November 14), officials said.

According to a statement issued by the Press Information Bureau, Defence Wing, the aircraft crashed and the pilot ejected safely. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause of the accident.

Local police said the aircraft went down inside the premises of a private salt-production unit, where it broke apart on impact. No residential buildings or public movement were located in the immediate area, and no civilian injuries were reported.

Eyewitnesses in the area reported seeing an aircraft flying at a low altitude before descending sharply. A helicopter carrying Air Force officials from Tambaram landed at the site shortly after the incident to assist rescue efforts and inspect the wreckage. The pilot, identified in local accounts as having suffered no injuries, was airlifted for medical examination as a precaution.

Police personnel from Thiruporur are conducting an inquiry at the spot and have cordoned off the area. Technical teams from the Air Force are expected to examine the debris.

Police said information about additional personnel, if any, is yet to be verified.

The wreckage has been secured for further investigation, and the Air Force has stated that the cause of the technical failure will be identified through the Court of Inquiry.