MiG-29 crashes during Bulgarian-US drill

Sofia, April 26 (IANS) A MiG-29 fighter jet crashed Thursday near an airbase, 150 km from the Bulgarian capital, during a US-Bulgaria drill. However, its two pilots ejected successfully and returned to the base, media reported.

According to Radio Focus, the MiG-29 crashed between the villages of Tzarimir and Golyam Chardak, some seven km northwest of the Graf Ignatievo Air Base, Xinhua reported.

The fighter plane was engulfed in flames before the crash, the radio said, citing witnesses.

The joint Bulgarian-American flight training, codenamed "Thracian Star 2012", began April 17 and will end May 11 at the Graf Ignatievo Air Base, one of the four military facilities jointly used by the US and Bulgaria.