A MiG-21 fighter aircraft on Tuesday crashed soon after taking off from Naal airfield in Rajasthan's Bikaner district killing the pilot.

"The pilot ejected but died due to injuries sustained by him," defence spokesperson S D Goswami told PTI.

The MiG-21 'Type-96' aircraft was on a routine sortie and crashed near the airfield, which is about 15 km from Bikaner city, he said.

This is the second crash of a MiG series fighter aircraft this year.

On February 4, an IAF MiG-21 'Bison' fighter plane had crashed apparently due to an engine problem while on a routine sortie in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district but the pilot had ejected safely.

In 2010, a total of 10 IAF aircraft crashes took place including four MiG-27 and two MiG-21 planes.

Image: File photo of a MiG-21 Type-96 aircraft