AAIB probes Madhya Pradesh training crash after sunset flight

It matters to citizens as it documents the initial findings of a serious aviation incident involving injuries to pilots and substantial aircraft damage.

Who it concerns: The report concerns M/S Redbird Flight Training Academy Pvt. Ltd. (owner/operator), the flight instructor (PIC), the trainee pilot, and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

What the investigators found

• The accident occurred on 08 December 2025 at 1226 UTC at Potlai, near Suktara Airfield, Seoni District, Madhya Pradesh.
• The aircraft was a TECNAM P-Mentor (Registration VT-RFO) owned by M/S Redbird Flight Training Academy Pvt. Ltd.
• Two persons were on board: the instructor sustained a minor injury, and the trainee pilot sustained a serious injury (maxillary fracture).
• The flight was a Circuit and Landing Check; the aircraft took off from Suktara Airfield and was intended to land there.
• During the final approach, the crew reported a loss of RPM; the instructor took control and attempted a forced landing.
• The aircraft struck a power cable and crash-landed in a nearby field approximately 920 meters from the runway threshold and 210 meters offset from the centerline.
• The aircraft sustained substantial damage, including broken propeller blades, damaged nose cowlings, bent firewall, broken nose landing gear, and bent main landing gears.
• The AAIB states its objective is accident prevention, not apportioning blame or liability, and notes the information is preliminary and liable to change.
• Investigation steps include site examination, wreckage analysis, fuel/oil sample collection, Garmin Display Unit data retrieval, and Engine Control Unit analysis.

Also in the document

• The aircraft had accumulated 949:45 hours (Time Since New) prior to the accident.
• The last scheduled inspection was a 50-hour inspection carried out on 20 November 2025.
• The trainee pilot had 46:40 hours of total flying experience and 03:35 hours on the specific aircraft type.
• The instructor had 2253:25 hours of total flying experience and 420 hours on the specific aircraft type.
• Weather conditions at the time were Day VFR with visibility of 05 Km and wind of 02 Kts from 020 degrees at 1100 UTC.
• The accident occurred after the sunset time of 1158 UTC, though the flight was planned under day VFR conditions.