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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Trainer plane hard-lands near Baramati

Mumbai: In a shocker, a small trainer aircraft belonging to a private aviation company hard-landed near the Baramati Airfield on Wednesday, sparking fresh concerns over aviation safety in a region that has been witness to several aircraft-related incidents in the past few months. The two-seater, single-engine aircraft belongs to Redbird Flight Training Academy (RFTA) and it crash-landed near the Baramati Airfield this morning around 8.50 am. There are no casualties reported in the incident...

Trainer plane hard-lands near Baramati

Mumbai: In a shocker, a small trainer aircraft belonging to a private aviation company hard-landed near the Baramati Airfield on Wednesday, sparking fresh concerns over aviation safety in a region that has been witness to several aircraft-related incidents in the past few months. The two-seater, single-engine aircraft belongs to Redbird Flight Training Academy (RFTA) and it crash-landed near the Baramati Airfield this morning around 8.50 am. There are no casualties reported in the incident though the Italian-made plane is reported to have suffered minor damage. Confirming the mishap, Pune (Rural) Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill told mediapersons that the plane crash landed near Gojubavi village, adjacent to the Baramati Airfield. In a terse statement later, the RFTA said: “This is to inform that our aircraft, a Tecnam P2008JC bearing registration VT-RFY, was involved in an incident at Gojubavi in the vicinity of Baramati Airport. As per the preliminary information received, the aircraft was undertaking a solo flight at the time of the occurrence. The cadet pilot is reported to be safe,” it said. When contacted in New Delhi, a senior RFTA official, Dr. Ritu Grover, told The Perfect Voice that they had no further information on the accident including the identity of the trainee pilot. According to initial information, the aircraft developed a technical glitch while cruising at a low altitude while on a routine practice flight, forcing the trainee pilot to attempt an emergency landing but it hard-landed. “During the crash landing, a part of the aircraft grazed an electric light pole before it came down on the ground. Only one trainee pilot was on board the aircraft and fortunately, no serious injuries were reported in the incident,” Gill said. Upon receiving information from the locals, a police team rushed to the accident spot and cordoned off the site. The injured trainee pilot was taken for treatment while local aviation officials launched a probe into the incident. The police said that further details would be released after a technical assessment of the aircraft and ascertaining the causes leading to the disaster. Incidentally, this is believed to be the third mishap involving the Tecnam aircraft including in 2021 and 2023 in different places. The RFTA is one of the two major pilot training institutes operating from the Baramati aviation hub. The region has emerged as a centre for aviation training, with institutes like RFTA and the Carver Aviation conducting regular training sorties from the airfield. Today’s incident brought focus on the safety record of aviation training operations in Baramati, particularly around Gojubavi village, where multiple aircraft mishaps have been reported in recent years. The latest crash comes barely four months after the January 28 Learjet crash near here that had sent shockwaves across the state and national political circles. The mishap had claimed the life of then Maharashtra deputy chief minister and ex-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit A. Pawar along with four others, making it one of the deadliest aviation incidents in the region in recent memory. Locals recall that similar trainer aircraft disasters involving RRFTA planes had occurred in the vicinity in the past, raising concerns over recurring technical failures and emergency landings dangerously close to populated areas. The aviation authorities are likely to examine whether mechanical failure, pilot error, or operational lapses led to today’s hard-landing at Baramati Airfield. Hazardous Airfield A preliminary probe report by the AAIB into the Learjet 45XR – owned by VSR Ventures Ltd – that crashed on Jan. 28 killing Ajit Pawar and others, had made certain stinging observations on the facilities at Baramati Airfield, managed and maintained by the Maharashtra Airport Development Co. Ltd. Besides the two private aviation training academies, it regularly handles non-scheduled operations, including Chartered/VIP flights. In a shocker, it also stated how the two ATC towers there are manned flying instructors or students, including training flights and VVIP operations.

Culture Gaps, Career Traps

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If you're serious about building a powerful personal brand that resonates globally, cultural awareness isn't optional—it's essential. Don't let cultural blind spots limit your success. With the right guidance, you can master cultural intelligence and position yourself as a confident, respected leader in your field.


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(The author is a personal branding expert. She has clients from 14+ countries. Views personal.)

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