Duo were close to completing training

Aircraft apparently hit by lightning, say locals

Trainee pilots Prakash Vishal and Amanpreet Kaur, who were killed in training aircraft crash in Vikarabad district on Sunday afternoon.

When 21-year-old Amanpreet Kaur and Prakash Vishal, got into the CESSNA 172 trainer aircraft at the Old Begumpet Airport on Sunday morning, little did they know that this would be their last flying sortie.

Almost at the end of their 18-month Commercial Pilot Licence course at the Wings Aviation Private Limited here, the trainee pilots hailing from Punjab and Bihar were on cross country flying. “They took off for Gulbarga at 11 a.m. as part of the solo flying. But, it appears they were caught in heavy downpour and decided to return to Hyderabad. Locals claimed that they heard a huge sound and saw the aircraft being hit by lighting. The aircraft broke into pieces and fell on a cotton field on the outskirts of Sultanpur in Bantawaram mandal of Vikarabad district. The duo died on the spot,” founder and CMD of Wings Aviation Private Limited Y. Prabhakar Reddy told The Hindu on Sunday.

First accident

Shocked by the first accident involving the flying academy, Mr. Reddy, who rushed to the spot said that the ill-fated aircraft was the most advanced of the 13 strong fleet. It was acquired by the academy in 2009 from the USA and was refurbished completely.

The trainee pilots were allowed to fly the aircraft only when they came close to completing the training at the academy that was established in 1995.

Mr. Reddy, who took possession of the bodies at the village said they would be shifted to either Osmania or Gandhi Hospital for embalming. Parents of the victims were informed about the deaths. “They are coming to Hyderabad to take the bodies back to their home towns,” he said.

Heavy rainfall

Vikarabad district officials claimed that there was heavy rainfall in the area and close to 12 cm rainfall was recorded. A senior official wishing not to be identified said there were reports of thunderstorm and lightning. “The manner in which the aircraft was damaged and blown into pieces shows that it could have been hit by lightning,” sources said.

A team of DGCA officials are expected to visit the crash site in the next few days to enquire into the cause of the mishap.