The entire fleet of 35 Tejas fighter jets in the inventory of the Indian Air Force (IAF) is not flying and is undergoing “exhaustive maintenance checks”.Sources said the decision was taken following a crash on February 7. A jet was in the process of taking off from a forward IAF base along the western front when it veered off the runway into an adjoining mud-ditch, according to sources.Since the cause of the accident is not known, the fleet is undergoing maintenance checks, the sources said. They said “the IAF and public sector plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited are working together to find the root cause of the incident”. Once that is done, corrective measures would be adopted, if required.These checks will include a check on the metallurgy of the undercarriage which holds the wheels, the electromagnetic system used for applying brakes and the software.Meanwhile, HAL said the February 7 incident was “not a crash”. The event in question was a minor technical incident on the ground, HAL said. “As a standard operating procedure, the issue is being analysed in depth and HAL is working closely with the IAF for a speedy resolution,” the HAL said. Light combat aircraft Tejas maintains one of the world’s best safety records among contemporary fighter aircraft, the company added. Meanwhile, describing the incident on February 7, sources said the pilot of the single-seater aircraft was safe, but had sustained injuries in the accident as the plane was moving for take-off.The Air Force has, so far, not made an official statement on the accident, which had led to the fleet being checked. It is further learnt that a Court of Inquiry had been ordered in the incident that would established the cause behind the crash. It will be decided if the aircraft should be written off due to damages on its airframe.This is the third Tejas aircraft to be lost since its induction in 2016. The fighter jet had faced its first crash near Jaisalmer in March 2024 when the aircraft crashed while coming back from a firepower demonstration. The pilot had managed to eject successfully.The second crash happened in November 2025 when the fighter jet was involved in an aerobatic display at the Dubai Airshow. The accident had cost its pilot, Wing Commander Namansh Syal, his life.In all, 40 Tejas jets were ordered. Plane-maker HAL is yet to deliver two Tejas. The IAF had 38 jets, but with the latest crash, three have been lost. Besides, the IAF is also awaiting the delivery of the Tejas Mark 1A jets, 180 of which have been ordered so far, with deliveries running behind schedule by two years.