New Delhi: A senior Indian Air Force (IAF) officer lost his life after his fighter jet MiG-21 Bison met with a accident on Wednesday. To ascertain the cause of accident, a court of inquiry has been set up.

The accident happened when the aircraft was taking off for a combat training mission at an airbase in central India, an IAF spokesperson said. An inquiry has been set up to ascertain the cause of the accident, the Indian Air Force said in a statement.

IAF expressed deep condolences over the death of its official and said that it stands ‘firmly with his family members.’

Earlier in January this year, a same incident was reported from Suratgarh in Rajasthan where a MiG-21 Bison fighter jet belonging to the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed. The plane crashed amid a technical glitch during a training sortie in the western sector. The pilot managed to eject safely, the IAF spokesperson stated.