A flat spin led to the crash of a MiG-29 Indian Air Force fighter near the Uttar Pradesh city of Agra. A video showcasing the crashed IAF aircraft courtesy of a viral sensation on social media reveals how the flight trainer descended rapidly into an erratic spiral before smacking the ground and going up in flames. The splendid footage brought numerous spectators to the site, which military persons quickly cordoned off for the safety of the crowds and to facilitate proper investigation.

This unfortunate accident happened on Saturday, and the plane smashed into an open field around  Agra. The IAF confirmed that the cause was a “system malfunction.” Praise God that the pilot ejected safely, leading the aircraft away from a possible populated area to limit people being harmed. This was not seen in the video as the pilot ejects, but the nearby witnesses in the Baha village who witnessed the incident said that he parachuted safely onto the ground.

Locally, this is the second incident reported within a week. This incident was reported as a “critical technical snag” on September 2 in Barmer, Rajasthan. The MiG-29 was initially designed in 1983 for the USSR and was part of the Indian fleet from 1987. Upgrades have been done with each upgrade to enhance capabilities since then. On June 4, an IAF Sukhoi 30 MKI crashed near Shirasgaon, Nashik, Maharashtra. In that incident, the two pilots ejected safely, and fortunately, no one lost their lives in the accident.

These incidents reflect that  it has been difficult to keep aging aircraft in peak operational conditions despite periodic upgrades. The IAF has launched a detailed investigation to find out the actual cause of the Agra crash so that such incidents can be avoided in the future.