Before Kanpur crash, DGCA warned flying schools over Tecnam aircraft safety

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation had flagged safety concerns about Tecnam aircraft more than a month before a Tecnam P2006T training aircraft crashed near Kanpur on August 27, killing a trainee pilot and an instructor. The regulator had also sent safety recommendations to flying training organisations and asked them to act on them immediately.

Official communications accessed and reviewed by PTI show the DGCA had raised concerns with flying training organisations at least twice since 2025 about Tecnam aircraft, which are mainly used in India for pilot training. After the latest crash, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is set to carry out a detailed inquiry, while a three-member DGCA team will provide regulatory oversight and coordination.

The latest DGCA communication, dated July 10, 2026, circulated safety recommendations issued by the AAIB after the May 12, 2022 crash of a twin-engine Tecnam P2006T operated by FSTC Flying School Pvt Ltd at Bhiwani in Haryana. In that email, the regulator advised flying training organisations to 'avoid parking Tecnam aircraft on apron/tarmac for prolonged periods during the summer season prior to commencing training flights'. It also said, 'Greater emphasis should be placed on training for handling emergency situations, particularly during critical phases of flight on Tecnam aircraft.'

The DGCA also directed that 'checklists should be revised to explicitly incorporate all Original Equipment Manufacturers-recommended actions for handling emergency situations'. The email said the communication was based on the final investigation report into the 2022 Bhiwani accident, which was available on the AAIB website.

An earlier DGCA communication had sought feedback from flying training organisations on the operational performance of Tecnam aircraft, a civil aviation source told PTI. A reminder was sent on August 4, 2025, with the subject line: 'Reminder regarding Feedback checklist for Operational Assessment of General Aviation aircraft's Performance - Tecnam Aircraft.' According to the source, the reminder referred to an earlier email that had sought responses through the feedback checklist.

A flying instructor, who spoke to PTI on condition of anonymity, said several instructors had faced difficulties with the aircraft. 'Diamond and Cessna aircraft, which have traditionally been flown for a long time, have good reliability, maintenance and airworthiness. Tecnam aircraft are becoming more popular because of their affordability, but there is a flying risk associated with them,' the instructor said.

The senior pilot trainer said the concerns covered both single-engine and multi-engine Tecnam aircraft, and claimed that incidents involving the planes were not always reflected clearly in available records. Referring to the 2022 Bhiwani accident and the findings of the AAIB investigation that followed, the instructor said they pointed to difficulties linked to operating Tecnam aircraft. The instructor suggested that the DGCA should consider grounding Tecnam aircraft temporarily and allow flying training organisations to operate them only after their safety and airworthiness had been fully assessed.

The latest crash involved a Tecnam P2006T operated by Garg Aviation. The aircraft, registered as VT-NBV, took off from Kanpur Civil Airport at around 11.30 am on August 27 and crashed about 20 minutes later near Nathapurwa village in the Katri area along the Ganga. Instructor Sachin Bhatia and trainee pilot Abhishek Pujari were killed.

'Capt Bhatia was a good pilot and an experienced flying instructor. The images of the wreckage of his plane that circulated on social media shortly after the incident reflected something unusual,' the instructor told PTI. 'The damage to the aircraft was not as severe in the Bhiwani crash of 2022 although it was the same-make aircraft, but here the whole fuselage has gone leaving only the tail of the plane,' the instructor added.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation said the AAIB would conduct a detailed investigation into the accident. The inquiry is expected to examine the aircraft's maintenance and airworthiness records, flying hours, age and engine operating limits, and whether technical or human factors contributed to the crash. Garg Aviation had said after the accident that the aircraft had no maintenance-related deficiencies. Taken together, the earlier DGCA communications, the instructor's concerns and the latest fatal crash have again brought the safety of Tecnam training aircraft under scrutiny.