In the first mishap of an Indian Air Force aircraft this year, a MIG-27 ground attack fighter crashed near Hashimara air base in North Bengal on Thursday, but the pilot managed to eject out safely.

The aircraft got air borne at 12:30 pm for a routine training mission and crashed 10.2 kms east of the base at 12:40 pm, an IAF spokesman said. He said the pilot managed to eject safely seconds before the plane crashed into the ground.

There was no report of any casualty or damage on the ground, he said. The Air Force has instituted a Court of Inquiry to find out the causes of the crash.

The MIG-27, which were inducted in the late 80s, have had a comparatively safer record than other MIG variants. This is the first crash of a MIG-27 reported in the last 10 years.