Kanpur, India: An instructor pilot and a trainee pilot were killed after a twin-engine, four-seat training aircraft crashed in an open field near the Ganga Barrage area of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday, August 27, 2026. Police confirmed that both people on board died in the crash.
According to police, the aircraft had taken off from the Garg Aviation Training Centre at around 11.30 am and crashed at around 11.50 am in the outskirts of Natthapurwa village under the Gwaltoli police station area, police said. Emergency and police teams reached the crash site after the accident, where the aircraft was found badly damaged and debris was scattered across the field. Police personnel cordoned off the area as rescue and recovery operations were carried out.
The Tecnam aircraft, operated by Garg Aviation, took off at around 11.30 am and crashed killing both occupants. Kanpur Police Commissioner Raghuveer Lal confirmed the deaths of both occupants and identified them as instructor pilot Sachin Bhatia from Gujarat and trainee pilot Abhishek Pujari from Karnataka.
Speaking to reporters, Raghuveer Lal said that two people were killed in the crash. He identified them as instructor Sachin Bhatia, a resident of Gujarat, and trainee Abhishek Pujari from Karnataka. Lal said both had taken off from the Garg Aviation Training Centre at around 11:30 am, and the incident occurred around 11:50 am while they were returning.
The exact cause of the accident remains unknown. There is currently no official finding indicating whether the crash resulted from a technical failure, loss of control, weather, operational factors or any other cause. An investigation is expected to establish the aircraft’s final flight path, operating condition, crew actions and circumstances leading to the impact.
Police have so far confirmed the deaths of both occupants but have not provided a detailed account of what happened immediately before the aircraft went down. The investigation will be crucial in determining whether the aircraft suffered a mechanical or operational problem.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is the government body responsible for investigating aircraft accidents in India. AAIB states that its investigation process involves securing initial evidence at the accident site, examining the wreckage and analysing available operational and technical information. As of the latest available information, the crash remains under investigation and further official details are awaited.
Earlier, on June 26, 2026, a 22-year-old trainee pilot from New Delhi, Riya Batra, was injured after being struck in the back by a rotating propeller while deboarding Garg Aviation’s Tecnam P2006T (VT-NBV) following a night training sortie at Kanpur’s Chakeri Airport. The aircraft had landed with its engine still running when Batra stepped out.
The instructor reportedly switched off the engines immediately after noticing her, but one propeller struck her before coming to a complete stop. Batra was taken to a Kanpur hospital with back injuries and was reported to be recovering. The DGCA ordered an investigation, off-rostered the instructor and grounded the aircraft pending the probe
