The Karnataka crash, per a report from The Independent, also injured two other pilots. In a brief statement, senior police official MN Reddi confirmed details of the tragic incident involving two Hawk aircraft from the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Display Team. "One Indian Air Force pilot has unfortunately lost his life," MN Reddi said. "Two others were injured and [transported] to hospital, but are said to be out of danger."
Defense ministry officials said the two Hawk aircraft crashed near the Yelahanka Air Force Base during rehearsals for the upcoming Aero India event. Aero India is a five-day airshow popular among international aviation firms, defense contractors, and airshow enthusiasts alike.
Additional info on Tuesday's fatal crash has not been released.
Unsettling social media footage of the moments leading up to and closely following the collision have been widely shared, including shots of the maneuver the pilots were believed to be working on the time of the incident:
The death comes less than a month after a previous Indian Air Force incident in which a Mirage 2000 trainer crashed in Bengaluru, ultimately taking the lives of two pilots.
