Kanpur: Two pilots were killed after a twin-engine training aircraft crashed into a field near the banks of the Ganga River in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur on Thursday.
Emergency services and local authorities rushed to the spot immediately after receiving information about the crash. The exact cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained, although officials said the aircraft apparently lost control before crashing.
Kanpur Police Commissioner, Raghubir Lal, confirmed the deaths of both the pilot and co-pilot. Police and rescue teams cordoned off the crash site and launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident.
Police said the pilot, Sachin, was a resident of Gujarat and had logged more than 3,000 flying hours, while co-pilot Abhishek Pujari was from Karnataka. Both died in the crash.
According to officials, the four-seater, twin-engine Tecnam training aircraft crashed at around 11:50 a.m. after taking off from the Garg Aviation Training Centre near Natthapurwa village under the Gwaltoli police station area.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been informed about the incident, and its team is expected to reach the crash site. A detailed investigation will be conducted to determine the exact cause of the accident.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the deaths and offered his condolences to the bereaved families. He prayed for peace for the departed souls and strength for their families to bear the loss.
Further details are awaited as authorities continue their investigation into the Kanpur crash.
The incident comes amid a series of accidents involving training aircraft in recent months. In June, a woman pilot escaped with minor injuries after a two-seater trainee aircraft crashed into a field in Uttar Pradesh’s Kasganj district.
Earlier, in May, a training aircraft belonging to the Redbird Flight Training Academy made a hard landing near Gojubavi village in Maharashtra’s Baramati.
(IANS)
