IAR 99 Hawk aircraft crashes in Bacau County; FinMin Fifor: The pilots managed to eject

A IAR 99 Hawk aircraft crashed in Bacau County on Monday and the pilots managed to eject.

"There is indeed an IAR 99 Hawk aircraft that has crashed in Bacau. Specific procedures have been started in such situations. The pilots were able to eject and now they are being searched for," Defence Minister Mihai Fifor told Realitatea Tv in a phone-in.

An IAR 99 Hawk two-crew aircraft flying from the 95th Captain Alexandru Serbanescu Air Base in Bacau crashed on Monday around 13:30, EEST, in the Nicolae Balcescu area, according to a press statement released by the Defence Ministry (MApN).

"The two pilots managed to eject and rescue teams are in touch with them, and they have already begun the rescue operations. The 95th Air Force Base administration has urgently implemented the plan of intervention in such situations," according to the statement.

Fifor, together with Chief of Staff Nicolae Ciuca, are on their way to the scene.

A board appointed at the level of the Air Force Staff is to investigate the causes of the accident. AGERPRES (RO- author: Daniel Alexandru Florea, editor: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)