The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is set to investigate a tragic plane crash that occurred on Thursday near Kanpur Civil Airport in Uttar Pradesh. The incident resulted in the deaths of both the instructor and the trainee pilot aboard the aircraft. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has confirmed the details of the crash, emphasizing the urgency of the inquiry to determine the cause and circumstances surrounding the accident.
“The aircraft was on a training flight in the Local Flying Area of Kanpur Civil Airport. There were two persons on board, a trainee pilot and an instructor. Both sustained fatal injuries in the accident,” a statement from the DGCA read. Garg Aviation was involved in an incident in June, when the DGCA not only suspended its instructor but also grounded the aircraft after a trainee pilot was injured at Kanpur during a night instructional flight.
The deceased were identified as instructor Sachin Bhatia, a resident of Gujarat, and trainee pilot Abhishek Pujari from Karnataka, police commissioner Raghubir Lal said, adding that the aircraft took off from the training centre at around 11.30am and crashed 20 minutes later, while on its way back.
As per the preliminary information shared by the regulator, a Tecnam P2006T twin-engine aircraft, bearing registration VT-NBV and operated by Garg Aviation Ltd., Kanpur, met with an accident on Thursday afternoon when it was around 5 NM from Kanpur Civil Airport, near Ganga Barrage.
A team of three officials from the DGCA had departed for the site for necessary regulatory oversight and coordination, the civil aviation regulator said in a statement. “The AAIB has been informed and will undertake a detailed investigation into the accident in accordance with the applicable rules,” the statement added. “The circumstances and cause of the accident will be determined through the investigation,” the DGCA said.
