Training aircraft crashes near Kanpur, both pilots killed

A training aircraft crashed near Kanpur on Thursday, killing both pilots on board. The four-seater dual-engine plane went down in the outskirts of Natthapurwa village in the Gwaltoli police station area around 11:50 am, shortly after taking off from Garg Aviation Training Center. The victims have been identified as instructor Sachin Bhatia, a resident of Gujarat, and trainee pilot Abhishek Pujari from Karnataka.

According to reports, the aircraft had taken off at approximately 11:30 am and crashed within 20 minutes of departure. Eyewitnesses said a loud sound was heard when the plane hit the ground, and villagers quickly gathered at the site. Police and administrative teams rushed to the spot immediately after receiving information about the accident and secured the entire area. The wreckage of the aircraft has been preserved for investigation.

Preliminary information indicates that the aircraft had been with Garg Aviation since 2023. The company has denied any lapses in the maintenance of the plane. However, the actual cause of the crash remains unclear at this stage. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has been informed, and a DGCA technical team has arrived at the scene to investigate the circumstances that led to the accident.

The investigation will examine the technical condition of the aircraft, pre-flight checks, and the conditions at the time of the crash. Authorities are treating the matter with utmost seriousness, and a detailed probe will determine whether technical failure, human error, or other factors were responsible. The entire area has been plunged into mourning following the deaths of the two pilots. The real cause of the tragedy will only be revealed after the completion of the investigation.