Published : 27 Aug 2026, 08:54 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:36 AM
Two pilots have been killed when a twin‑engine four-seater training aircraft crashed in a field near the banks of the Ganges River in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur.
One of the pilots was a trainee and the other an instructor, police said.
They were identified as Sachin Bhatia from Gujarat and Abhishek Pujari from Karnataka, NDTV reports.
The crash occurred around 11:50am on Thursday as the aircraft was returning to the training centre.
"We have got information about the instructor. He had around 3,000 hours of experience. The DGCA has been informed. Their team will conduct a thorough investigation. The police have protected the entire area," said Kanpur Nagar Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal.
Emergency services and authorities rushed to the site after the crash, the report said.
Visuals from the scene showed the aircraft completely wrecked in a grassy, wooded area, with twisted metal parts and pieces of its wing and other white panels scattered around.
Officials said the aircraft lost control before the crash, but the exact cause has not yet been established.
The training aircraft had been brought to the centre in 2023, officials said.
