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May 20 (UPI) -- The Indian Air Force on Saturday grounded its fleet of Cold War-era Mig-21 fighter aircraft after a crash left three people dead in Rajasthan province. Military officials made the temporary move, which affects the country's entire fleet of 50 MiG-21s, while a probe into the crash is conducted, sources told the Press of India and Asian News International.
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The pilot ejected from his aircraft and survived with minor injuries in the May 8 crash, which happened in the village of Hanumangarh in Rajasthan about 200 miles west of New Delhi.
An inquiry has been launched to determine the cause of the accident, the Indian Air Force tweeted on the day of the crash.
Earlier this week, the Romanian air force retired their Mig-21 fleet, which operated for more than 60 years, as the the country's military transitions to the U.S.-built F-16.
India's air force uses aircraft from both NATO nations and Russia. It also has its own weapons industry and aircraft. In recent years the country has been transitioning to more NATO-built aircraft, including the French-built Dassault Rafale.
In 2002, an Indian Air Force Mig-21 crashed into a building in Jalandhar, killing eight people.
