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2 pilots from Gujarat, Karnataka killed as training aircraft crashes in Kanpur
Kanpur plane crash: The aircraft belongs to Garg aviation that operates a flying school from the civil aerodrome.
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A private training aircraft crashed in Kanpur on Thursday morning, police said, adding that the pilot and the co-pilot died on the spot.
The cause of the crash is yet to be ascertained.
The incident took place near the Ganga barrage in Natthupurwa village in Katri area. The deceased were identified as instructor Sachin Bhatia, a resident of Gujarat, and trainee pilot Abhishek Pujari from Karnataka, police commissioner Raghubir Lal said.
According to Lal, the aircraft took off from the training centre at around 11.30am and crashed 20 minutes later, while on its way back.
The twin-engine Tecnam aircraft was brought to the centre for training in 2023 by the flight training school.
Bhatia had around 3,000 hours of flying experience, Lal said. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been informed and will conduct a technical investigation into the crash, he added.
The aircraft crashed into a field in the area. Local residents said a loud sound sparked panic in the entire area. Debris from the aircraft lay scattered across the field.
Plane crash in Kasganj
In June this year, a woman pilot escaped with minor injuries after a two-seater trainee aircraft crashed into a field in Kasganj district of the state.
The aircraft, which had taken off from Aligarh airport on a training sortie, crashed near Police Lines in the Kasganj district headquarters area, damaging a high-tension power line before hitting the ground, police had said on June 29, according to PTI news agency.
A report was sent to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the officials said, adding that preliminary inquiry suggests that the aircraft developed technical snags.
The injured trainee pilot, identified as Kainaat Khan from Maharashtra, was rushed to the district hospital by ambulance. Doctors and officials said her condition was stable. Khan was the sole occupant of the plane, they said.
Superintendent of Police O P Singh said the aircraft was flying over the area when it suddenly began losing altitude and crashed into a nearby field.
During the descent, it struck a high-tension electricity line, snapping the wire and causing extensive damage to the aircraft. Police and senior administrative officials rushed to the spot along with rescue teams after receiving information about the crash.
In May as well, a training aircraft belonging to the Redbird Flight Training Academy made a hard landing near Gojubavi village in Maharashtra’s Baramati.
Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill had said it was not a crash, adding that, "While landing, the aircraft struck a pole. The pilot was alone in the aircraft, and safe.”
The incident occurred between 8:30am and 9am on May 13 when a trainee pilot was carrying out a routine practice session from the Baramati airport.
