Trainee pilot, instructor killed as training aircraft crashes in Kanpur

A trainee pilot and an instructor were killed on Thursday when a training aircraft crashed near the banks of the Ganga in Kanpur, police said.

The aircraft, operated by Garg Aviation, took off at around 11.30 am and crashed roughly 20 minutes later near Nathapurwa village in the Katri area, Kanpur Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal told PTI.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known.

The deceased were identified as instructor Sachin Bhatia from Gujarat and trainee pilot Abhishek Pujari from Karnataka.

Bhatia had around 3,000 hours of flying experience, according to police.

Police, fire teams reach crash site

Police and fire personnel rushed to the crash site after receiving information about the incident. The area was cordoned off and the wreckage secured as evidence for the investigation.

Commissioner Lal, along with Additional Commissioners of Police Vipin Tada and Sankalp Sharma and Chief Fire Officer Deepak Sharma, visited the site.

Videos from the crash site showed the aircraft heavily damaged, with debris scattered around the area.

A seat was also seen outside the wreckage. Officials, however, have not confirmed whether either of the occupants attempted to escape the aircraft before the crash.

DGCA to investigate

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is expected to examine the aircraft's airworthiness, maintenance records and other technical aspects as part of the investigation.

Preliminary information indicates that the aircraft was twin-engined.

Garg Aviation said the aircraft had been in its fleet since 2023 and claimed there were no maintenance-related deficiencies.

The aircraft involved was a Tecnam training aircraft, used by the aviation company for pilot training.

The circumstances leading to the crash, including whether there was a technical failure or another factor, were not immediately established.

Authorities have secured the wreckage as the investigation continues.