PUNE – An Indian Air Force Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet crashed at Pune Airport late on April 17 2026 after experiencing an undercarriage failure during landing . The incident occurred around 10:25 PM forcing the closure of the runway for nearly 11 hours and disrupting commercial flight operations .
Both pilots ejected safely before the aircraft crashed and sustained no injuries according to IAF officials . There was no damage to civil property on the ground .
The aircraft suffered a hard landing with its landing gear malfunctioning upon touchdown . The jet became immobilised on the runway blocking both military and civilian flight operations. The IAF immediately ordered a court of inquiry to investigate the cause of the technical failure .
Pune Airport operates under a dual-use model sharing a single runway between military and civilian traffic at the Lohegaon Air Force Station . The temporary closure forced at least 12 incoming flights to divert to airports in Mumbai Surat Goa Navi Mumbai and Coimbatore . A total of 73 flights were cancelled across airlines including IndiGo Air India SpiceJet Akasa Air and Air India Express .
Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol confirmed that recovery efforts continued through the night . IAF personnel worked with heavy machinery to remove the damaged aircraft from the runway . The runway was declared operational at 8:00 AM on April 18 with departure operations resuming from 7:30 AM .
Flight operations gradually returned to normal following safety inspections and clearance of the runway
