Police: India navy plane performing aerobatics crashes at air show; 2 pilots killed, 4 injured

Indian navy plane crashes, 2 pilots killed

HYDERABAD, India — An Indian navy plane performing aerobatics at an air show crashed into a building in southern India on Wednesday, killing both the pilot and the copilot and injuring four people on the ground, police said.

Admiral Nirmal Verma, the navy chief, said the pilots could not eject and were killed in the crash as the plane hit a building in a residential area near Begumpet airport in Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh state.

“The aircraft went out of control. But the cause of the crash was not immediately known,” Verma told reporters.

A.K. Khan, police commissioner, said the plane crashed into a water tank atop a three story building and severely damaged the top floor of the building.

The crash occurred as the plane dived while performing aerobatics, but failed to regain height, television images showed. The aerial display was part of the inaugural events of a weeklong civil aviation summit, where participants from several countries, including the United States and France, were also present.

The plane was built by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

Police cordoned off the area and searched for more casualties.

The Indian air force has been plagued by frequent crashes, particularly among its aging Soviet-made MiG fighter aircraft.