A Redbird Aviation private training aircraft (charter plane) met with disaster on Sunday (February 8) when it crash-landed in Vijayapura district of Karnataka. The incident took place in Mangaluru village of Babaleshwar taluk where the light plane, carrying just two individuals, a captain and a trainee pilot, was en route from Kalaburagi to Belagavi on what promised to be a routine training hop. But mid-journey, a crippling engine malfunction struck, sending the craft spiralling out of control and forcing an emergency flop into rural terrain within Babaleshwar Police Station jurisdiction. Eyewitnesses described a harrowing scene as the aircraft hurtled downward, narrowly avoiding worse amid open fields.
DGCA said, "On February 8, Redbird Flying Training Academy Limited Cessna 172 Aircraft VT-EUC (MSN-17265717) made a forced landing in a field near Bagalkot (100 km east of Belgavi) Airport. Both the instructor and the cadet are safe.Those who survived the accident were identified as Captain Kunal Malhotra, who is an Assistant Flight Instructor (AFI) at Redbird Aviation, and trainee pilot Goutham Sankar PR. The duo sustained injuries and were rushed to a hospital.
Onboard ordeal and ground impact
Aboard the faltering Redbird, the captain and trainee battled the failing engine in vain, their quick thinking likely preventing a deadlier outcome. The plane slammed into the ground with enough force to injure both occupants grievously, yet miraculously sparing their lives- no fatalities marred the event. Dust and debris filled the air as locals rushed to assist, their shouts mingling with the groan of twisted metal. Within minutes, a 108 ambulance reached at the crash spot, taking the pilot and captain to the nearest hospital in Vijayapura for critical care, where doctors stabilised them amid the chaos.
Rapid police mobilisation and first official insights
Babaleshwar Police swarmed the crash site almost immediately, securing wreckage strewn across the village and launching a preliminary probe. The investigation officer provided a stark early readout, “It is a private aircraft belonging to Red Bird Aviation. It was heading from Kalaburagi to Belagavi when it developed a technical glitch in the engine and suddenly crashed. There were two people on board, identified as the captain and a trainee pilot. Both sustained grievous injuries in the incident and have been shifted to the nearest hospital for further treatment. Further investigation is underway.”
Echoes of risk in regional aviation
As probes intensify under Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) oversight, questions swirl about Redbird's upkeep standards and the unforgiving nature of rural crash sites. The pilots' survival offers a sliver of hope, but it underscores the razor-thin margin between routine and ruin in Karnataka's skies, awaiting fuller revelations on what truly grounded the Redbird.
