History of the Flight
On 24 December 2013, a Diamond DA-40 aircraft, registration VT-FGE, operated by Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Academy (IGRUA), was scheduled for a long navigation cross-country solo flight from Gondia to Pachmarhi and back to Gondia. The pilot was a student pilot holding a Student Pilot Licence (SPL). The aircraft had been refueled to its full capacity of 152 litres, and a Certificate of Release to Service was issued after the daily inspection. The pre-flight inspection was carried out by both a licensed pilot and the cadet pilot.
The cadet pilot reported for flying at 0230 UTC and received mass briefing covering weather, NOTAMs, and standing orders. He then received a navigation briefing from his instructor. The weather prior to takeoff was fine with visibility more than 5 km, and enroute weather was reported as fine. The aircraft took off from Gondia at 0709 UTC from Runway 04 and climbed to Flight Level 85 on a radial of 298°.
At 0739 UTC, the pilot contacted Nagpur ATC, stating the aircraft was on a non-stop cross-country flight from Gondia to Gondia overflying Pachmarhi. He estimated reaching Pachmarhi at 0815 UTC and ETA back at Gondia at 0916 UTC. Nagpur tower advised the pilot to remain with Gondia, but the pilot replied that Gondia had instructed him to stay with Nagpur. Nagpur acknowledged at 0744 UTC. There were no further recorded ATC transmissions with VT-FGE. The last aircraft position recorded from Nagpur VOR was at 0757 UTC on the 359 radial at 63.22 NM.
When the aircraft did not return by 1030 UTC, IGRUA informed Gondia ATC. Gondia ATC attempted to contact VT-FGE and other stations (Raipur, Jabalpur, Bhopal) but received no response. Messages were relayed through other aircraft, and the pilot's mobile phone was switched off. A full emergency was declared at 1130 UTC, and search and rescue was initiated by Mumbai FIC. Local administration and police in areas including Pachmarhi, Chindwara, Seoni, Nasingpur, and Hosangabad were informed.
On 25 December 2013, forest officers reported an aircraft crash near Village Sitadongri in Chindwara district, Madhya Pradesh. The wreckage was found in dense jungle, and the aircraft had deviated 6.18 NM (11.45 km) from the cleared flight path.
Injuries and Damage
The trainee cadet pilot could not survive the accident. The aircraft was completely destroyed. The front portion of the fuselage was crushed; the rear fuselage separated. The propeller separated from the engine, both blades were twisted, and the spinner was damaged. The engine separated with its mounting, and the firewall sheared off. Both wings detached; the starboard aileron broke into pieces. The elevator and rudder were detached and broken. The horizontal stabilizer detached from its mount. The instrument panel sheared off. The throttle and mixture levers were fully forward, the propeller lever was in mid position, and the fuel tank selector was set to the right tank. The canopy sheared off, and the VHF system was damaged. The ELT sheared off and was near the main wreckage. All three landing gears sheared off. There was no evidence of fire.
Probable Cause
The accident occurred due to the pilot inadvertently entered into an area of rising terrain and clouds while flying in VFR flight resulted in Controlled Flight into Terrain.