KANPUR: Two pilots were killed on Thursday after a twin-engine training aircraft crashed in a field near the Ganges River in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, officials said.
The four-seater aircraft was being operated by the Garg Aviation training centre when it went down during a return flight to the facility.
Police said one of the deceased was a trainee pilot while the other was an instructor. The victims were identified as Sachin Bhatia of Gujarat and Abhishek Pujari of Karnataka.
The aircraft took off from the training centre at around 11:30am and crashed approximately 20 minutes later while returning to the facility.
Kanpur Nagar Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal said the instructor had around 3,000 hours of flying experience. He added that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had been informed and its team would conduct a detailed investigation into the crash.
Emergency personnel and police immediately reached the crash site and secured the area. Images from the location showed the aircraft completely destroyed, with its fuselage and wings severely damaged and debris scattered across the grassy, wooded terrain.
Officials said the exact cause of the accident had yet to be determined, although preliminary information suggested the aircraft lost control before crashing.
The training aircraft had reportedly been brought to the centre in 2023.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his condolences to the families of the two pilots and prayed for peace for the deceased and strength for their loved ones to cope with the loss.
