A MiG-29 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force crashed today near Agra in Uttar Pradesh after “encountering a system malfunction”. The pilot ejected safely from the aircraft.

Visuals show the aircraft up in flames in an open field in the Songa village of Agra and people standing several feet away from the burning aircraft. People were seen holding equipment resembling an ejection seat.

The Indian Air Force in a statement said, “A MiG-29 aircraft of the IAF crashed near Agra during a routine training sortie today, after encountering a system malfunction. The pilot manoeuvred the aircraft to ensure no damage to life or property on the ground, before ejecting safely. An enquiry has been ordered by the IAF, to ascertain the cause of the accident.”

MiG-29, NATO name ‘Fulcrum’ and Indian name ‘Baaz’, is an air superiority fighter jet originating in Soviet Russia. It was formally inducted into the Indian Air Force in 1987. They have a relatively safer track record. 

Reports say this was the upgraded version of the fighter jet – the MiG-29 UPG. This is the second MiG-29 crash in two months. Earlier in September, a MiG-29 faced a technical snag in Rajasthan’s Barmer during a routine night sortie and crashed. The pilot ejected safely.

The MiG-29 Ejection Seat

The Zvezda K-36D zero-zero ejection seat is onboard the MiG-29 fighter jet. It is considered one of the most advanced ejection seats in the world and is also deployed on Air Force Su-30MKI fighter jets. 

Read more: NDTV Explainer: How Pilots Eject From An Unrecoverable MiG-29 Jet

The seats are designed to eject pilots from zero position, i.e. stationary position to a considerable height to deploy parachutes. Zero position refers to zero altitude or zero speed. The development of Martin-Baker zero-zero ejection seats by the British (the West) eventually led to the development of zero-zero seats by the Soviets. The Tejas fighter jet has the Matin-Baker zero-zero ejection seat deployed. 

The zero-zero capability was developed to help pilots escape unrecoverable situations during low-altitude or low-speed flights and ground mishaps during takeoff or landing.