2 Indian pilots killed as air force trainer aircraft crashes in Telangana

NEW DELHI, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Two Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots were killed on Monday after a trainer aircraft that they were on board crashed in the southern Indian state of Telangana, officials said.

According to officials, a Pilatus PC 7 Mk II aircraft carrying an instructor and a trainee pilot had taken off from Air Force Academy (AFA) at Hyderabad for a routine training sortie.

However, it crashed on Monday morning at Toopran in Medak district, about 55 km north of Hyderabad, the capital city of Telangana, killing both pilots on the spot.

The aircraft went into flames immediately after crashing to the ground.

No damages to civil life or property have been reported, and a court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident, according to an IAF statement.

Officials said that IAF pilots often undergo basic training on the single-engine Pilatus PC 7 Mk II aircraft.