A single-engine training plane flown by a trainee pilot crashed in the Pachmarhi hills of Madhya Pradesh killing him on Tuesday. The plane Diamond 40 belonging to Rae Barelis Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Academy (IGRUA) had taken off from Gondias Birsi airport on Tuesday around 12.30 pm. After some time,the ATC lost contact with it,raising doubts of a crash. The wreckage of the plane was also located. It is not immediately known as to what caused the crash. Neither could it be known why the trainee was piloting the plane all alone. The dead body of the pilot Sohail Ansari (19) was found Wednesday near Belakhadi in the Pachmarhi hills. It is gathered that Ansari had become eligible for a solo flight since he had fulfilled the stipulated 80-hour flight criterion. While no official was available for comment,sources identified Ansari as a resident of Bijnour in Uttar Pradesh. It is gathered that the IGRUA conducts some of its training flights from Gondia airport that houses the Rajiv Gandhi National Flying Institute in view of better weather conditions there during winter compared to Rae Bareli. This year,26 trainees and 10 planes have come to Birsi for the purpose.
