An Indian Air Force group captain died in an accident while his MiG-21 Bison aircraft was taking off on Wednesday morning.

The “fatal accident” involving Group Captain A. Gupta took place when the aircraft was taking off for a combat training mission.

The air force did not disclose the location of the airbase, except for saying it was in central India. The news agency PTI put out a picture of the wreckage from Gwalior.

“A MiG-21 Bison aircraft of the IAF was involved in a fatal accident this morning while taking off for a combat training mission at an airbase in central India,” the IAF said.

“The IAF lost Group Captain A. Gupta in the tragic accident. The IAF expresses deep condolences and stands firmly with the family members. A court of inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause of the accident.”

In recent times, the IAF has witnessed a series of crashes involving fighter jets and choppers. A MiG-21 was shot down by Pakistan in an aerial engagement in February 2019.

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was flying the jet, had ejected safely and his parachute had drifted into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir where he had been taken into custody by the Pakistan Army. He was later released.

The Soviet-origin Mig-21 Bison is an upgraded version of the Mig-21 aircraft that the IAF began inducting in the 1960s.