Training Aircraft Crashes in Karnataka Field, Pilots Minor Injuries

A two-seater training aircraft crashed into an open field in Mangalura village, Babaleshwar taluk of Vijayapura district, Karnataka, on Sunday afternoon, allowing the pilot and trainee pilot to escape with minor injuries after a forced landing.

The incident occurred between 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., involving a Cessna 172 aircraft owned by Redbird Flight Training Academy in Kalaburagi. The plane was en route from Kalaburagi to Belagavi when it encountered difficulties, leading to the emergency landing. Police sources reported that the aircraft came down upside down and broke into three pieces upon impact. Both occupants ejected moments before the crash, according to eyewitness accounts and initial investigations.

The pilot, identified as Captain Kunal Malhotra, an assistant flight instructor with the academy, and the trainee pilot, Goutham Sankar P.R., sustained only minor injuries. Local farmers and sugarcane workers in the field witnessed the event and quickly rushed to assist, pulling the men from the wreckage. The injured were promptly transported to BLDE Hospital in Vijayapura, where doctors confirmed they are in stable condition and expected to recover fully.