Pune: A Cessna C172 trainer aircraft with two people onboard suffered damage after veering off the runway at the Baramati airfield on Sunday, August 9, afternoon, but there were no injuries or fatalities, according to the Civil Aviation Ministry.
The air safety team from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is going to the site in Maharashtra to conduct a preliminary investigation and ascertain the circumstances and contributing factors leading to the incident, the ministry said in a statement.
Incidentally, on January 28 this year, a private charter plane carrying then Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others crashed near the Baramati airstrip, killing all on board.
At around 12.25 pm, a Cessna C172 aircraft VT-SEX, operated by the flying training school Academy of Carver Aviation, was involved in the runway excursion incident at the Baramati airfield.
Aircraft sustains damages
“There were no injuries or fatalities reported. The aircraft has sustained prima facie damage to the propeller, engine cowling and nose landing gear. A detailed assessment of the damage will be carried out by the competent authorities,” the ministry said.
The aircraft was being operated for a Circuit and Landing Emergencies (CL Emergencies) training exercise. The aircraft was under the command of Captain Chirag Shashikant Doifode, who was the flight instructor, with trainee Abhijeet Jundre on board.
According to the ministry’s statement, the aircraft taxied out at around 12.09 pm for the scheduled training exercise.
“During the exercise, the aircraft entered the runway through Link Bravo and lined up at the threshold of runway 29, where a rejected take-off exercise practice was carried out.
“Subsequently, the aircraft lined up at the threshold of runway 11 and another rejected take-off exercise was carried out,” it said.
Aircraft unable to stop
During the course of the exercise, the ministry said the aircraft was unable to stop within the paved runway surface and subsequently veered off the extended paved surface beyond the threshold of runway 29 towards the right side, resulting in a runway excursion.
Baramati airfield is an uncontrolled airfield.
An uncontrolled airfield is an aerodrome without a control tower, or one where the tower is not in operation, according to the website SKYbrary
It initially lined up at the threshold of Runway 29 and carried out a rejected take-off. Thereafter, the aircraft was lined up at the threshold of Runway 11, where another rejected take-off was carried out, a senior police official said.
“During the course of this exercise, the aircraft could not be brought to a complete stop on the runway and continued beyond the threshold of the runway. Subsequently, it veered off the extended paved surface to the right side beyond the Runway 29 threshold. No injuries have been reported,” the official said.
On May 13, a trainer aircraft of another private company made a crash landing near the Baramati airstrip after developing a technical snag. No casualties were reported.
