Pune

A trainer aircraft operated by Redbird Flight Training Academy made an emergency crash landing near the Baramati airstrip in Baramati on Wednesday morning after reportedly developing a technical snag, police said.

The incident occurred around 8.50 am near Gojubavi village in Pune district. A trainee pilot, who was alone on board the aircraft, escaped unharmed.

According to officials, the aircraft involved was a Tecnam P2008JC bearing registration VT-RFY and was on a solo training sortie at the time of the incident.

Sandip Singh Gill said preliminary inputs from eyewitnesses suggested the aircraft was flying at a relatively low altitude when it developed a technical malfunction.

During the emergency landing, one side of the aircraft reportedly struck a light pole before coming down on the ground, he said.

Police and emergency personnel rushed to the site soon after receiving information, and officials confirmed that no injuries were reported.

In a statement, Redbird Flight Training Academy said the situation was fully under control and that the cadet pilot was safe.

The company added that it has initiated an internal investigation and is coordinating with the relevant aviation and local authorities to ascertain the cause of the incident. A detailed assessment will follow after the inquiry.

The incident comes amid previous aviation mishaps involving training aircraft in the Baramati region. In October 2023, two separate trainer aircraft linked to the same academy were involved in accidents near Baramati, resulting in injuries.

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Separately, in January this year, a charter aircraft operated by VSR Ventures crashed near the Baramati airstrip, killing all onboard, including senior Maharashtra politician Ajit Pawar.