A trainer aircraft belonging to Red Bird Aviation crash-landed in Karnataka's Vijayapura district on Sunday, leaving the pilot and a trainee pilot injured.
The incident occurred in the Babaleshwar area, where the aircraft came down on an agricultural field.
The trainer aircraft was carrying two people at the time of the crash. Local residents who witnessed the incident rushed to the spot and attempted to rescue the trainee pilot, who was seen lying near the aircraft. The pilot was seen standing while locals filmed the scene.
The injured have been identified as Captain Kunal Malhotra, the pilot, and Goutham Sankar, the trainee pilot.
"The preliminary information suggests that both the pilot and the trainee are safe. They were shifted to a hospital in a 108 ambulance for treatment. The aircraft was reportedly flying from Kalaburagi to Belagavi at the time of the incident," said Laxman B Nimbargi, Superintendent of Police (SP), Vijayapura
Police from Babaleshwar Police Station rushed to the spot and have taken up preliminary investigation.
In a statement on Sunday evening, the Civil Aviation Ministry said the force landing happened "due to suspected fuel starvation experienced by the aircraft" and that the plane was manufactured in 1975.
The aircraft's certificate of registration with Redbird was issued on May 23, 2023 and the certificate of airworthiness was issued on September 20, 2023.
According to the ministry, Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC) was issued on August 1, 2025 and is valid till August 3, 2026.
ARC is issued after inspection of the particular aircraft to ensure that it is fit to fly.
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