Maharashtra: A trainer aircraft skidded off the runway during take-off at Solapur Airport in Maharashtra on Thursday afternoon, officials said. A woman trainee pilot was on board at the time and escaped unhurt.
According to news agency PTI, citing officials, the incident occurred around 2:30 PM when the aircraft, operated by a flying club, veered off the paved surface of the runway.
Aircraft Seen In Nose-Down Position; Rescue Teams Rushed
Visuals from the scene showed the plane in a nose-down position after skidding along the runway. Fire tenders, an ambulance, and police personnel rushed to the airport immediately following the accident.
Similar Incidents In Maharashtra
The Solapur incident comes months after a similar mishap at the Baramati airstrip in Maharashtra's Pune district on August 9 this year. In that incident, a Carver Aviation trainer aircraft carrying a pilot and a cadet left the paved surface and entered a grassy patch while performing landing emergency exercises, including rejected take-off manoeuvres. Both occupants escaped without injuries.
The August incident followed a tragic crash near the same Baramati airstrip on January 28, which killed then Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others.
Earlier Mishaps In Gujarat
Gujarat has also witnessed similar incidents. On September 28 last year, a single-seat trainer aircraft skidded off the runway shortly after landing at Amreli Airport. While the aircraft sustained some damage and came to a halt tilted beside the runway, the trainee pilot escaped unhurt.
That incident occurred just five months after a fatal crash near Amreli that killed a 22-year-old trainee pilot.
(With Inputs From Agencies)