'Fuel-starved' trainer plane lands in field

NEW DELHI: A training aircraft was forced to land in an open field about 50-70km before its destination, Belagavi, Sunday after allegedly running out of fuel.

While the aircraft was damaged in the impact, both the flight instructor and the trainee pilot aboard were safe. Aviation authorities were probing the episode.

"Redbird Flight Training Academy's Cessna 172 (VT-EUC) aircraft, while operating a cross-country flight from Kalaburagi to Belagavi, was involved in a forced landing near Vijayapura Sunday due to suspected fuel starvation... Further investigation will be carried out by DGCA/AAIB," the aviation minister said in a statement.

The aircraft was built in 1975. At about 300km, Kalaburagi to Belagavi is a short sector. The probe will investigate why the plane suffered a fuel shortage.

DGCA had briefly suspended Red Bird's operations in Oct 2023 after a series of mishaps - all of them non-fatal. The operations resumed after the regulator conducted detailed checks. With 48 aircraft in its fleet, Red Bird is one of India's biggest flying training schools.


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