Kanpur Training Aircraft Crash:
Garg Aviation’s Tecnam P2006T VT-NBV Crashes Near Ganga Barrage, Instructor Capt Sachin Bhatia and Trainee Pilot Abhishek Pujari Killed; DGCA & AAIB Probe
Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh | 27 August 2026 | Fatal Training Flight Accident
A tragic Aviation accident occurred in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday, 27 August 2026, when a Tecnam P2006T twin-engine, four-seat Training Aircraft, registered VT-NBV and operated by Garg Aviation Ltd., Kanpur, Crashed in a field near Natthupurwa village and the Ganga Barrage, approximately 5 nautical miles from Kanpur Civil Airport.
The Aircraft was conducting a Pilot-Training Flight in the local flying area of Kanpur Civil Airport when the accident occurred. Both people on board — Flight Instructor Capt Sachin Bhatia of Gujarat and Trainee Pilot Abhishek Pujari of Karnataka — were killed.
✈️ The Kanpur Crash at a Glance
Date & Location: The tragic Aircraft crash occurred on 27 August 2026 near Natthupurwa village, close to the Ganga Barrage in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, approximately five nautical miles from Kanpur Civil Airport (Chakeri Airport).
Aircraft: The Aircraft was a Tecnam P2006T, a twin-engine, four-seat Aircraft used for Pilot Training. It was registered in India as VT-NBV and was being operated by Garg Aviation Ltd., Kanpur, as part of a Pilot-Training operation.
Flight: The Aircraft reportedly took off from Kanpur Civil Airport at around 11:30 a.m. for a Training sortie within the Airport's Local Flying Area. At approximately 11:50 a.m., the Aircraft crashed into a field near Natthupurwa while returning toward the Training centre.
Victims: Two people were on board — Flight instructor Sachin Bhatia of Gujarat and Trainee Pilot Abhishek Pujari of Karnataka. Both were killed in the crash. Reports stated that Bhatia had approximately 3,000 hours of flying experience.
Operator: The Aircraft was operated by Garg Aviation Ltd., a Flight-Training organisation based at Kanpur Civil Aerodrome. The Tecnam P2006T involved in the accident had reportedly been brought to the Training centre in 2023.
Investigation: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has initiated regulatory oversight following the accident, while the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is conducting the detailed Investigation. Authorities are examining the Aircraft, Flight records, maintenance history, operating conditions, weather, communications and other evidence.
Cause: The exact cause of the crash has not yet been officially determined. There is currently no confirmed finding that the accident resulted from mechanical failure, engine failure, Pilot error, weather or maintenance issues. Those conclusions will depend on the official Investigation.
Previous VT-NBV Incident: The same Aircraft registration, VT-NBV, was reportedly involved in a separate incident at Chakeri Airport on 26 June 2026, when a female Trainee Pilot was injured after coming into contact with the Aircraft's rotating propeller following a night instructional Flight. The DGCA subsequently took regulatory action in relation to that incident. However, no connection between the June incident and the August crash has been established.
Key Point: The Kanpur crash has raised renewed attention on Flight-Training safety, Aircraft maintenance, instructor supervision, student-Pilot operations and regulatory oversight. The AAIB Investigation will be essential in establishing what happened during the final minutes of VT-NBV's Flight and what safety lessons can be applied to prevent similar accidents.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation said the Aircraft was on a Training Flight in the Local Flying Area of Kanpur Civil Airport. A team of three DGCA officials was being sent to the site for regulatory oversight, while the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) was informed and would undertake the detailed Investigation.
The Final Flight of VT-NBV
According to reports, the Aircraft departed from the Garg Aviation Training Centre in Kanpur at approximately 11:30 a.m. for a Training sortie.
Around 20 minutes later, at approximately 11:50 a.m., the Aircraft Crashed while returning toward the Training centre. The Aircraft came down in an open field near Natthupurwa village, close to the Ganga Barrage.
The impact left the Aircraft severely damaged, with wreckage scattered across the Crash site. Police, emergency personnel and administrative officials reached the location and secured the area for Investigation.
The Aircraft: Tecnam P2006T — Registration VT-NBV
The Aircraft involved was identified as a Tecnam P2006T, a twin-engine, four-seat light Aircraft used for Pilot Training.
Its Indian registration was:
VT-NBV
The Aircraft was operated by Garg Aviation Ltd., a Flight-Training organisation based at Kanpur's civil Aviation facility.
Reports indicate that the Aircraft had been brought to the Training centre in 2023.
The Two Pilots Who Lost Their Lives
The accident claimed the lives of two members of the Flight-Training community.
Sachin Bhatia — Flight Instructor
Sachin Bhatia, from Gujarat, was serving as the instructor on the Training Flight.
Kanpur Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal said Bhatia had approximately 3,000 hours of flying experience, according to reports.
Abhishek Pujari — Trainee Pilot
Abhishek Pujari, from Karnataka, was the Trainee Pilot receiving Flight instruction during the sortie.
Both Pilots sustained fatal injuries when the Aircraft Crashed.
The loss of an experienced instructor alongside a Pilot still working toward his Aviation career makes the accident particularly devastating for their families and the wider Pilot-Training community.
Where Did the Crash Happen?
The Crash occurred near:
Natthupurwa village
Ganga Barrage area
Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh
The site was approximately five nautical miles from Kanpur Civil Airport.
The Aircraft was operating within the Airport's Local Flying Area, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation's preliminary information.
Garg Aviation — The Operator
The Aircraft was operated by Garg Aviation Ltd., Kanpur, which runs Pilot-Training operations from Kanpur's civil Aviation facility.
The organisation's Aircraft are used for Flight instruction, giving aspiring Pilots practical flying experience as part of their professional Pilot-Training pathway.
The accident therefore involves not only an Aircraft and two Pilots, but also raises broader questions about Flight-Training safety, Aircraft Airworthiness, operational procedures and regulatory oversight.
DGCA and AAIB Investigation
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has moved to provide regulatory oversight following the Crash.
However, the detailed accident Investigation will be undertaken by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
The authorities have not yet established the precise cause of the Crash.
At this stage, there is no confirmed official finding that the accident was caused by:
engine failure;
mechanical failure;
Pilot error;
weather;
maintenance issues;
loss of control;
operational procedures; or
any other specific factor.
Those conclusions must come from the formal Investigation.
Investigators are expected to examine the Aircraft wreckage, Flight records, maintenance history, operating conditions, Pilot actions, communications and other available evidence before determining what led to the accident.
A Previous VT-NBV Safety Incident
The Crash also comes after a separate safety incident involving Garg Aviation's Tecnam P2006T VT-NBV at Kanpur's Chakeri Airport on 26 June 2026.
During a night instructional Flight, a female Trainee Pilot was injured after coming into contact with a rotating propeller while getting out of the Aircraft after landing.
Following that incident, the DGCA said the concerned instructor was removed from flying-Training duties pending Investigation and directed that the Aircraft involved not be used while the Investigation continued.
The existence of the earlier incident does not by itself establish any connection to the 27 August Crash. Any relationship, if one exists, would have to be determined by Investigators.
What Investigators Will Need to Establish
The most important unanswered question is simple:
Why did VT-NBV Crash?
The Investigation will need to establish the Aircraft's final Flight path and determine whether there was an emergency or abnormal event before impact.
Among the issues Investigators may examine are:
Aircraft condition:
Was the Aircraft Airworthy and properly maintained?
Engine performance:
Were both engines functioning normally?
Flight controls:
Was there any indication of a control-system problem?
Training activity:
What manoeuvre or exercise was being performed?
Pilot actions:
What did the instructor and Trainee do during the final moments?
Weather:
Were weather or visibility conditions relevant?
ATC communication:
Was there any final communication or distress call?
Maintenance history:
Were there any unresolved technical observations?
Operational procedures:
Was the Flight being conducted according to the approved Training programme?
Only the official Investigation can provide reliable answers.
Why This Accident Matters
Pilot Training is the foundation of the Aviation industry. Every commercial Airline Pilot begins with Training Aircraft, instructors and instructional sorties.
A fatal accident involving a Training Aircraft therefore affects much more than one Flight.
It raises important questions about:
Aircraft safety → Instructor supervision → Student-Pilot Training → Maintenance → Regulatory compliance → Emergency procedures → Flight-Training standards
The answers will matter not only to the families of Sachin Bhatia and Abhishek Pujari, but also to students, instructors, flying schools and Aviation regulators across India.
A Tragedy for Two Families and the Aviation Community
Behind the Aircraft registration VT-NBV, the Training centre, the Investigation and the statistics are two human stories.
Sachin Bhatia was an experienced instructor entrusted with helping develop the next generation of Pilots.
Abhishek Pujari was a Trainee Pilot pursuing an Aviation career.
Their final Training Flight ended in tragedy near Kanpur's Ganga Barrage.
As Investigators begin examining the wreckage and reconstructing the Aircraft's final moments, the priority must be to establish the facts without speculation.
The central question now is not simply how the Aircraft Crashed — but what can be learned from the accident to ensure that future Training Flights are safer.
The DGCA and AAIB Investigations will be critical in providing those answers.
This article is based on information available on 27 August 2026. As this is a developing Aviation accident, details may be updated or corrected as official Investigators release further findings.
