Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal identified the deceased as instructor Sachin Bhatia, a resident of Gujarat, and trainee pilot Abhishek Pujari from Karnataka.
According to Lal, the aircraft took off from the training centre at around 11.30am and crashed 20 minutes later while returning to the centre. The twin-engine Tecnam aircraft had been brought to the flight training school for training in 2023.
Bhatia had around 3,000 hours of flying experience, Lal said. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been informed and will conduct a technical investigation into the crash, he added.
The aircraft crashed into a field in the area. Local residents said a loud sound triggered panic across the area. Debris from the aircraft was scattered across the field.
In June this year, a woman pilot escaped with minor injuries after a two-seater trainee aircraft crashed into a field in Kasganj district of the state.
The aircraft had taken off from Aligarh airport on a training sortie and crashed near Police Lines in the Kasganj district headquarters area, damaging a high-tension power line before hitting the ground, police had said on June 29, according to PTI news agency. A report was sent to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), while officials said a preliminary inquiry suggested that the aircraft had developed technical snags.
The injured trainee pilot, identified as Kainaat Khan from Maharashtra, was rushed to the district hospital by ambulance. Doctors and officials said her condition was stable. Khan was the sole occupant of the plane, they said.
Superintendent of Police O P Singh said the aircraft was flying over the area when it suddenly began losing altitude and crashed into a nearby field.
During the descent, it struck a high-tension electricity line, snapping the wire and causing extensive damage to the aircraft. Police and senior administrative officials rushed to the spot along with rescue teams after receiving information about the crash.
In May, a training aircraft belonging to the Redbird Flight Training Academy made a hard landing near Gojubavi village in Maharashtra’s Baramati.
Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill had said it was not a crash, adding, "While landing, the aircraft struck a pole. The pilot was alone in the aircraft, and safe."
The incident occurred between 8:30am and 9am on May 13 when a trainee pilot was carrying out a routine practice session from the Baramati airport.
The Kanpur crash has resulted in the deaths of both occupants, with the DGCA set to conduct a technical investigation into the cause of the accident.
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