Mini aircraft crashes in Karnataka's Vijayapura, pilot and passenger eject on time

A private mini aircraft crashed in Vijayapura district on Sunday, 8 February, and the pilot and passenger narrowly escaped. The aircraft was reportedly flying from Kalaburagi to Belagavi, PTI reported.

A two-seat aircraft crashed in Mangaluru village, which is in Babaleshwar Taluk of Vijayapura district. Both occupants were ejected before the crash, and the aircraft broke into three pieces, the news agency noted, citing people aware of the development.

The duo sustained injuries and were rushed to a hospital. The report stated that the training aircraft was flying from Kalaburagi to Belagavi, although more details are still awaited.

DGCA said that Redbird Flying Training Academy Limited's Cessna 172, VT-EUC (MSN-17265717), made a forced landing in a field near Bagalkot, about 100 km east of Belgavi Airport, ANI reported.

Plane crash near Baramati airport

The incident occurred weeks later, following a devastating plane crash near Baramati airport on Wednesday, 28 January morning that resulted in the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others. Eyewitnesses described scenes of multiple explosions, raging flames, and helpless locals unable to rescue those on board.

The small charter aircraft that left Mumbai at around 8 am crashed during landing about 45 minutes later. Images from the spot showed large columns of smoke and a fierce fire consuming the wreckage, highlighting the severity of the incident.

An eyewitness to the crash said the aircraft appeared unstable as it descended before crashing to the ground and catching fire. According to the witness, a series of explosions then followed, leaving no chance for immediate rescue.

The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were recovered from the crashed charter plane, ANI reported, citing the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). The black box, located at the rear of the aircraft, was handed over to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for further investigation, the report said.