Udupi: Abhishek Poojary, a trainee pilot from Udupi district, was among two people killed when a twin-engine training aircraft crashed in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday. The accident has brought grief to Karnataka, particularly his native Udupi district.
Trainee pilot among two killed
The four-seater training aircraft, operated by Garg Aviation, took off from a training centre in Kanpur at around 11.30 am. It crashed approximately 20 minutes later in a field near Nathupurwa village in the Katri area, close to the Ganga Barrage.
Abhishek Poojary was identified as the trainee pilot from Karnataka. The other victim was instructor pilot Sachin Bhatia, who was from Gujarat and reportedly had around 3,000 hours of flying experience.
Investigation launched into crash
Rescue personnel rushed to the crash site and faced difficulties while extricating the two pilots from the wreckage. They were taken to hospital, where doctors declared them dead.
The exact cause of the crash has not yet been established. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has been tasked with investigating the accident, with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also involved in the probe.
Udupi mourns young aviation aspirant
The death of Abhishek Poojary has cast a pall of gloom over Udupi district. His loss in a training flight has also drawn attention to the risks faced by aspiring pilots during the demanding process of aviation training.
The investigation is expected to establish what happened during the aircraft’s brief flight and whether any technical, operational or other factors contributed to the crash.
The tragedy has left two families grieving while aviation authorities work to determine the circumstances that led to the fatal accident.