Guwahati, May 19 (IANS): A frontline Sukhoi SU-30 MKI combat jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in Assam's Nagaon district on Tuesday, but both pilots ejected safely, officials said.

Sources from the IAF said a technical snag was responsible for the crash that took place at 12.30 p.m.

"Preliminary investigation shows a technical snag caused the crash," an official said.

Officials said no decision has been taken yet for grounding the Sukhoi-30 fleet.

The aircraft that crashed on Tuesday had taken off from the Tezpur air base "on a routine mission", an official said.

"After takeoff, the aircraft developed a technical snag and the pilot was forced to abandon the aircraft. Both the pilots ejected. The ejection was safe and the aircraft crashed at 1230 hours... in a thick forest near Tezpur.

"A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident," Group Captain Amit Mahajan, defence ministry's spokesperson in Shillong, said in a statement.

India has a total of 272 SU-30 MKI planes, making it this fighter aircraft's largest operator in the world.

Following a crash near Pune in October last year, the entire SU-30 fleet was grounded for a month before it was allowed to fly again in November.

It was the longest period for which the fleet was grounded since 2009 when its operations were suspended for nearly three weeks following an accident.

A study conducted about the fighter's engine failure found that out of a total 69 cases in the last three years, 33 cases were due to chips in the oil, 11 cases were due to vibration in the engine -- which was the result of bearing problems, and eight cases were found to be because of low pressure of lubricating oil.