NEW DELHI: A trainee pilot was injured after an Indian training aircraft crashed in the country’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Monday during a routine solo training flight, aviation authorities said.
The aircraft, a Cessna 152 operated by Chetak Aviation Academy, came down in a field near an under-construction highway in Kasganj district after taking off from Aligarh, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
An Indian trainer aircraft crashed in UP’s Kasganj due to technical issues, injuring its female trainee pilot, who attempted to land on an under construction road. pic.twitter.com/F7wskYGHbT
— Mohsin Ali (@Mohsin_o2) June 29, 2026
The female trainee pilot, who was the only person on board, was rescued by local residents and taken to a nearby hospital before being referred to Agra for further treatment.
The DGCA said the aircraft, bearing registration VT-AFB, was engaged in solo flying when it crash-landed.
“A Chetak Aviation Cessna 152 aircraft VT-AFB engaged in solo flying at Aligarh has crash-landed in a field in Kasganj. Pilot is reported to be safe. The DGCA is investigating the occurrence,” the aviation regulator said in a statement.
#WATCH | Chetak Aviation Cessna 152 aircraft VT-AFB engaged in solo flying at Aligarh crash landed in a field in UP’s Kasganj today, says DGCA. The regulatory body is investigating the incident pic.twitter.com/M8a3hHtdtV
— ANI (@ANI) June 29, 2026
Authorities said the exact cause of the accident had not yet been established.
According to preliminary information, investigators are examining several possible factors, including technical failure, weather conditions and operational issues.
Local witnesses told Indian media that the aircraft struck overhead power lines before coming down alongside the road.
The Cessna 152 is a single-engine, two-seat aircraft widely used for pilot training.
The incident follows another training aircraft accident in India in May, when a Red Bird Aviation trainer made a forced landing near Baramati in the western state of Maharashtra.
