Trainer aircraft crashes after hitting a power line while landing

The aircraft of Redbird Flight Training Academy, which has a base in Seoni, crashed near agriculture fields of Amagon, around 2km from the Suktara airstrip on National Highway-44 at 6:25 pm, a senior police official said.

Academy representatives told police the aircraft's engine stopped generating power and this led to the accident. Pilot Ajit Chawda and flight instructor Ajit Anthony were injured in the crash which took place around 20km from the district headquarters, the official said. Both are undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Barapathar near Seoni city, he said.

According to eyewitnesses, while landing on the runway, the lower part of the aircraft collided with 33 kV power line of the Badalpar substation. The power line snapped and the trainer jet crashed to the ground, the official said, adding electricity supply was disrupted in the area.