Systemic failure in the skies: Why Karnataka’s latest training crash demands a DGCA audit

A small trainer aircraft belonging to Redbird Flying Training Academy crash-landed in an agricultural field in Karnataka's Vijayapura district on Sunday, sending shockwaves through the local community. The good news is that both people on board — the instructor pilot Malhotra and trainee pilot Goutham Sankar — survived the incident. But this crash raises some very serious and uncomfortable questions about the safety of flight training operations in India.

Let us first understand what exactly happened. The aircraft, a Cessna 172 with registration number VT-EUC, was on a routine training flight from Kalaburagi to Belagavi. Somewhere during the journey, near the Babaleshwar area of Vijayapura district, roughly 100 kilometres east of Belagavi airport, the engine developed a technical problem. The pilots had no choice but to attempt what is called a forced landing. In simple words, when an aircraft's engine fails or malfunctions mid-air, the pilots have to quickly find an open space below and bring the plane down as safely as possible. In this case, they managed to land in a farmer's field near Bagalkot.

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, commonly known as DGCA, which is India's top authority for air safety, both the instructor and cadet are safe. Vijayapura Superintendent of Police Laxman B Nimbargi confirmed that the two were shifted to a nearby hospital in a 108 ambulance for treatment. Local villagers who saw the aircraft come down rushed to help. Videos from the spot showed the trainee pilot lying near the aircraft while the instructor was seen standing. The courage of those ordinary villagers who ran towards a crashed aircraft without thinking twice about their own safety deserves genuine appreciation.

Now, let us understand the aircraft involved. The Cessna 172 is one of the most common training aircraft in the world. It is a small, single-engine, four-seat airplane made by the American company Cessna, which is now part of Textron Aviation. The Cessna 172 first flew back in 1956 and has since become the most produced aircraft in history, with over 44,000 units built. It has a maximum speed of around 230 kilometres per hour and can fly at altitudes of up to 13,500 feet. The aircraft typically weighs about 767 kilograms when empty and can carry a total weight of around 1,111 kilograms. It runs on a single Lycoming four-cylinder piston engine. Flight training schools across India and the world prefer the Cessna 172 because it is considered reliable, easy to handle, and forgiving for new pilots who are still learning. The specific aircraft in this incident, with serial number 17265717, was being operated by Redbird Flying Training Academy Limited, which is a well-known flight school in India.

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But here is where my concern begins. Just because the Cessna 172 is considered a safe and reliable aircraft does not mean it can be taken for granted. Aircraft, no matter how trusted, need rigorous and regular maintenance. Every nut, bolt, wire, and engine part must be checked on strict schedules. When the DGCA says the engine developed a "technical glitch," it opens up a box of difficult questions. Was the aircraft properly maintained before this flight? Were all mandatory inspections completed on time? Was there any history of engine trouble with this particular plane? These are questions that the DGCA investigation must answer thoroughly and transparently.

Flight training is inherently risky. Young aspiring pilots, many of them in their early twenties, put their lives in the hands of their training academies every single day. They trust that the aircraft they are flying has been maintained to the highest standards. They trust that their instructors are experienced enough to handle emergencies. In this case, the instructor clearly did a commendable job by managing to land the aircraft in an open field rather than crashing into a populated area. That skill and presence of mind likely saved both their lives.

However, the fact remains that a forced landing in a remote agricultural field is an extremely dangerous situation. Had the terrain been different, had there been trees or power lines or buildings in the way, the outcome could have been tragically different. The razor-thin margin between life and death in such situations should worry all of us.

Karnataka has seen its share of such incidents in recent years, and each one should serve as a wake-up call. The DGCA must not just investigate this incident but also conduct a wider audit of all flight training academies and their maintenance records. The lives of young trainee pilots are too precious to be put at risk due to poor upkeep or cost-cutting.

Both pilots survived, and for that we are grateful. But survival alone should not be the benchmark. Safety must be the standard, not luck.

(Girish Linganna is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst. He is the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany)