Kanpur aircraft crash: Instructor, trainee pilot killed as training plane crashes in field; DGCA to investigate

An instructor pilot and a trainee pilot were killed after a four-seater, twin-engine training aircraft crashed in a field in Kanpur on Thursday, the police said.

Kanpur Police Commissioner Raghuveer Lal identified the deceased as Sachin Bhatia, an instructor pilot from Gujarat, and Abhishek Pujari, a trainee pilot from Karnataka.

"Two people have died. There was an instructor, Sachin Bhatia, who was a resident of Gujarat, and Abhishek Pujari, a trainee from Karnataka. Both the instructor and trainee took off at 11:30 AM from the Garg Aviation Training Center here. This incident occurred around 11:50 AM as they were returning," Lal told reporters.


The aircraft was returning to the Garg Aviation Training Center when it crashed around 11:50 am, about 20 minutes after takeoff, according to the police commissioner.

AAIB to probe Kanpur trainer aircraft crash that killed 2

A three-member DGCA team will visit the crash site for regulatory oversight, while the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has been informed and will conduct a detailed investigation to determine the cause, the aviation ministry said.

Kanpur plane crash: What we know

Lal said the aircraft was a four-seater, dual-engine Tecnam plane and that Bhatia had around 3,000 hours of flying experience.

"This is a four-seater, dual-engine plane. We have learned that the instructor had about 3,000 hours of flying experience. The DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) has been informed, and their team will conduct a thorough investigation into the matter. For now, the police have cordoned off the entire area to protect it. The bodies have been removed from the site. This Tecnam aircraft was brought here for training in 2023. Any further technical inquiries will be handled by the DGCA. The pilot was Sachin Bhatia, a resident of Gujarat, and the trainee was Abhishek Pujari from Karnataka," the commissioner said.

Police have cordoned off the crash site and removed the bodies. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been informed and will conduct a detailed investigation into the crash.

The cause of the Kanpur aircraft crash has not yet been established. Further technical findings are expected from the DGCA investigation.