Training aircraft crashes near Kanpur, killing both pilots on board

A training aircraft crashed near Kanpur on Thursday morning, 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 at around 11:50 am, approximately 20 minutes after takeoff. Instructor pilot Sachin Bhatia from Gujarat and trainee pilot Abhishek Pujari from Karnataka died in the accident.

The aircraft belonged to Garg Aviation Training Centre and had taken off at around 11:30 am for a routine training flight. Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud noise as the plane crashed to the ground, prompting villagers to rush to the spot. Police and district administration teams immediately reached the site, cordoned off the area, and secured the wreckage for investigation.

According to preliminary information, Garg Aviation had operated the aircraft since 2023 and has denied any maintenance lapses. However, the actual cause of the crash remains unclear at this stage. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has been informed and its technical team has begun investigating the incident. The probe will examine the aircraft's technical condition, pre-flight checks, and circumstances at the time of the accident.

Authorities have launched a detailed investigation to determine what led to the tragedy. The DGCA team is currently on-site conducting a thorough technical assessment of the wreckage and flight records. The crash has cast a pall of gloom over the entire area. The exact reason behind the accident will only emerge after the investigation is completed, officials said.