Two pilots die as IAF ‘Surya Kiran’ plane crashes

Bidar/Bangalore: Two pilots of the Indian Air Force’s ‘Surya Kiran’ aerobatics team were killed when their plane crashed on the outskirts of Bidar on Saturday.
The mishap occurred at 9 a.m. The plane crashed into a sugarcane field behind S B Patil Dental College on Humnabad Road in Naubad. The deceased pilots have been identified as Squadron Leader Shailendra Singh of Dehradun and Wing Commander D Bhatia of New Delhi. Their bodies were charred beyond recognition. Bhatia was an experienced pilot while Singh had joined the team two months ago.
This is the first crash of a naerobatics aircraft of the Indian Air Force. Surya Kiran is rated as one of the best aerobatics formation teams in the world along with the Red Arrows of the British Royal Air Force and Canada’s Snow Birds. It is based at the IAF station in Bidar. The squadron primarily comprises indigenously manufactured Kiran MII aircraft.
19/03/06 Deccan Herald

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