Media Eye News Bureau: An Indian Air Force Microlight Virus SW-80 crashed today, after getting airborne from Air Force Station Jorhat, for a routine sortie.

Two pilots, Wg Cdr J James and Wg Cdr D Vats, sustained fatal injuries.

The two-seater aircraft, one of the many small planes that the Indian Air Force maintains, is suspected to have developed a technical fault.

Villagers in the sparsely populated district told authorities that they had seen the aircraft go up in flames.

"An Indian Air Force Microlight Virus SW-80 crashed around 1200 hrs today, after getting airborne from Air Force Station Jorhat, for a routine sortie," the defence ministry said in a statement in New Delhi.

A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.