Training aircraft crashes in Kanpur; 2 pilots killed
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New Delhi: A trainee pilot and a flying instructor were killed when a training aircraft crashed near Ganga Barrage, around five nautical miles from Kanpur Civil Airport, on Thursday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said.
The Tecnam P2006T twin-engine aircraft, bearing registration VT-NBV and operated by M/s Garg Aviation Ltd., Kanpur, was on a training flight in the local flying area of Kanpur Civil Airport. There were two people on board, a trainee pilot and an instructor and both sustained fatal injuries in the crash.
The deceased have been identified as Sachin Bhatia from Gujarat and Abhishek Pujari from Karnataka.
The aircraft took off from the Garg Aviation training centre in Kanpur at around 11.30 am. The crash occurred around 11.50 am while the aircraft was returning to the training centre.
A three-member team from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is proceeding to the site for regulatory oversight and coordination. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has also been informed and will conduct a detailed investigation in accordance with the applicable rules.
The circumstances and exact cause of the crash will be established through the investigation, the Ministry said.
“We have got information about the instructor. He had an experience of around 3,000 hours. The DGCA has been informed. Their team will conduct a thorough investigation. The police have protected the entire area,” Kanpur Nagar Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal said.
Emergency services and authorities rushed to the crash site soon after the incident. Visuals from the site showed the aircraft completely wrecked in a grassy, wooded area. Officials said the aircraft had lost control before the crash, while the exact cause remains unknown.
The training aircraft had been brought to the centre in 2023, officials said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the families of the two pilots and prayed for the peace of the departed souls. He also prayed for strength for the bereaved families to bear the immense loss.
The crash comes amid a series of accidents involving training aircraft in recent months. In June, a woman pilot escaped with minor injuries after a two-seater trainee aircraft crashed into a field in Uttar Pradesh’s Kasganj district.
Earlier in May, a training aircraft belonging to the Redbird Flight Training Academy made a hard landing near Gojubavi village in Maharashtra’s Baramati.
With IANS inputs