Flying School’s Trainer Aircraft Suffers Crash-Landing in Pune, Trainee Pilot Safe

Pune, India: A training aircraft belonging to Redbird Flight Training Centre crash-landed near Baramati Airport in Pune district on Saturday morning, narrowly avoiding injury to the pilot on board.

Police said the incident occurred at around 8 a.m. during a routine training sortie. The pilot, who was returning to land, noticed that one of the aircraft’s tyres appeared to be damaged. As the aircraft touched down, its front wheel detached, causing it to veer off the taxiway and cross over to the opposite side of the airfield. Despite the sudden loss of the wheel, the pilot managed to bring the aircraft to a stop without injury. Officials confirmed the pilot was unharmed, though the aircraft sustained damage in the landing.

Authorities have begun an investigation to determine the cause of the tyre damage and the wheel separation. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been informed of the incident, and further examination of the aircraft is expected to be carried out as part of the probe.

This is not the first time a training aircraft operated by Redbird has been involved in an accident. In May this year, a trainee pilot had a close call at Suktara airstrip in Seoni district, Madhya Pradesh, when the aircraft overturned during landing. The pilot in that case also escaped unhurt, but the DGCA launched a formal investigation into the cause of the mishap.

Notably, operations at Redbird Flight Training Academy were suspended by the DGCA on October 24, 2023, following a series of safety incidents, and the academy was cleared to resume training at its Baramati (Pune) centre on February 21, 2024.

The Baramati crash-landing adds to a string of recent non-fatal incidents involving training aircraft across the country. The DGCA has been under increasing pressure to ensure stricter compliance and oversight for flying schools, particularly those operating high-frequency training schedules.

As the investigation continues, officials are expected to review maintenance logs, pilot statements, and technical data from the aircraft to piece together the events leading up to Saturday’s emergency.