Two persons — a flying instructor and a trainee female co-pilot of National Flying Training Institute (NFTI)—were killed on Wednesday, when the aircraft in which they were travelling crashed in Wainganga River near Gondia district in eastern Maharashtra.
The aircraft (DA 42 Nike) was on a training for the NFTI, which is one of CAE Oxford Aviation Academy’s Flight Schools, when it nosedived to Wainganga river at Mahalgao-Deori in Gondia district.
The deceased were identified as flight instructor Captain Rajan Gupta (35) and trainee Himani Kalyani (24) of Delhi.
The aircraft had taken off from Gondia at 9.24 am and it lost contact with the Mumbai Air Traffic Controller (ATC) at around 9.40 am. The aircraft hit a rope way wire before crashing into Wainganga River.
Reports reaching there that the aircraft broke into three pieces and oil spill could be seen in the Wainganga river where the aircraft crashed.
Having completed an 18-month pilot training course at the NFTI, Himani was reportedly doing her final check flight, when the mishap took place.
Police teams from Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra removed the wreckage of the aircraft from under the water.
Meanwhile, a case has been registered at the Daveniwada police station.