Kanpur, Aug. 27 -- Two pilots were killed when a Tecnam P2006T twin-engine training aircraft operated by Garg Aviation crashed near Nathapurwa village in the Katri area of Kanpur on Thursday, around 20 minutes after taking off from Kanpur Civil Airport. The aircraft, carrying an instructor and a trainee pilot, crashed about five nautical miles from the airport near the Ganga Barrage.
According to preliminary information from the Civil Aviation Ministry, the aircraft, registered as VT-NBV, took off at around 11.30 am for a training flight in the airport's local flying area. Both occupants suffered fatal injuries. Kanpur Commissioner of Police Raghubir Lal identified them as instructor Sachin Bhatia of Gujarat and trainee pilot Abhishek Pujari of Karnataka. Bhatia had about 3,000 hours of flying experience. Police and fire personnel reached the site, cordoned off the area and secured the wreckage for investigation. Videos showed the aircraft largely destroyed, with debris scattered around the fields. A seat was also found outside the wreckage, although officials have not said whether either pilot attempted to escape. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will conduct a detailed probe, while a three-member DGCA team is scheduled to visit the site for regulatory oversight. Investigators will examine the aircraft's airworthiness, maintenance records, flight details and training procedures. Garg Aviation said the aircraft, which had been with its Kanpur operation since 2023, had no maintenance-related deficiencies.
The crash follows a June 26 incident in Kanpur in which a pilot trainee was seriously injured by an aircraft propeller. The city's flying club has operated for 31 years. Kanpur airport also witnessed a runway close call in 2022.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.