The Deepak HPT-32 piston trainer aircraft suffered engine failure and landed in a field on the outskirts of the southern city of Madras, killing a buffalo, an Indian Air Force statement said.

A rescue helicopter was sent to the accident site and the pilots, who had minor injuries, were taken to hospital.

The Indian Air Force, the world's fourth largest, has been plagued by mishaps mostly involving its aging fleet of Russian-made MiGs.

Official figures show at least 221 MiGs, worth tens of millions of dollars, were lost in crashes between 1991 and 2000, killing about 100 pilots.

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