Trainee Pilot Seriously Injured by Spinning Propeller at Kanpur Airport
A trainee pilot was seriously injured after being struck by a rotating propeller while disembarking from a twin-engine aircraft during a night training exercise at Kanpur's Chakeri Airport. The incident, which occurred on Friday night, has prompted the aviation regulator to ground the aircraft and launch an investigation.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated that the accident happened around 11:15 pm on Friday at Garg Aviation's flying training organisation. The aircraft, a Tecnam P2006T registered as VT-NBV, was engaged in a night instructional training flight with a flight instructor and a female trainee pilot on board.
According to the DGCA, after the aircraft landed, the trainee deboarded while the engines were still running. As she moved away from the aircraft, the rotating propeller struck her on the back, causing grievous injuries. She was immediately rushed to a hospital in Kanpur, where she remains admitted. The DGCA did not disclose further details about her medical condition.
Following the incident, the DGCA has de-rostered the instructor involved from flying training duties until the investigation is completed. It has also ordered that the Tecnam P2006T aircraft involved in the occurrence will not be used for any flying operations pending the outcome of the inquiry.
The regulator described the incident as a ground collision and said investigators are examining the sequence of events, including the circumstances under which the trainee deboarded the aircraft while its engines and propellers were still running.
