Karnataka | Pilot and trainee injured after private aircraft crashes in Vijayapura district

A private training aircraft crashed in Karnataka's Vijayapura district on Sunday, February 8, 2026, injuring both the captain and a trainee pilot on board. The incident occurred when the aircraft, operated by Red Bird Aviation, developed an engine glitch mid‐flight and was forced to crash‐land in an open field near Mangaluru village in Babaleshwar taluk, according to police and early reports.The light aircraft was reportedly flying from Kalaburagi towards Belagavi when it experienced a sudden technical fault in the engine, leading to a loss of power. This compelled the pilot to bring the plane down in the field, where it sustained damage on impact. Both occupants - the captain and the trainee pilot - were seriously injured in the crash and were swiftly taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment by ambulance and emergency services.