Pilot, Trainee Injured As Private Aircraft Crashes In Karnataka

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. The exact cause of the crash is yet to be ascertained, and further details are awaited.