Indian air force planes collide in air show rehearsal, one pilot dead

Reuters - Two Indian Air Force planes collided in mid-air in the southern state of Karnataka on Tuesday (February 19) while rehearsing for an aerobatic show, killing one pilot and injuring two others, a senior police official said. The Defence Ministry confirmed that two Hawk aircraft of the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Display Team had crashed near the Yelahanka Air Force Base. According to an eyewitness, the wings of the airplanes collided while in the air and they came crashing down and caught fire. The aerobatic team was scheduled to perform at Aero India 2019, a five-day airshow expected to draw nearly 500 Indian and foreign aviation firms and defence contractors. It was the second deadly accident involving Indian Air Force aircraft this month. A Mirage 2000 trainer crashed in the southern city of Bengaluru on Feb 1, killing two pilots.