History of Flight
On 3 September 2014, Cessna 152 aircraft VT-SGN, operated by M/s Garg Aviation Ltd., was conducting local circuit and landing training at Kanpur Civil Aerodrome. The flight was authorized by a Flight Instructor for a solo local circuit and landing exercise. The first sortie of the student pilot was uneventful. For the second sortie, the aircraft took off from Runway 10 at about 0900 UTC and climbed to circuit altitude. The take-off, climb, and circuit were uneventful. Air Traffic Control cleared the aircraft for landing on Runway 10. During final approach, the trainee pilot observed bird activity in the approach path and initiated a continuous right turn to avoid the birds. The pilot became disoriented; the aircraft deviated from the flight path, losing height and speed. After the stall warning activated, the pilot declared MAYDAY. The aircraft's nose wheel struck the roof of an abandoned building approximately 40 ft high, became airborne again, and while executing a 180-degree turn, stalled and crash-landed on the roof in a nose-down attitude. The ATC controller activated emergency services. The aircraft was located at about 0940 UTC. The pilot was rescued by local villagers and taken to a nearby Air Force hospital for medical attention. There was no fire.
Injuries to Persons
The student pilot suffered serious injuries. No other crew or passengers were on board. There were no injuries to others.
Damage to Aircraft
The aircraft sustained substantial damage. Both propeller blades were bent and dislodged from the hub. The engine mount was broken, and the nose section was completely destroyed. The nose landing gear sheared off. The front fuselage was completely damaged, with dents on the rear section. Top and bottom engine cowlings were destroyed. The left main landing gear wheel separated from its axle. Both wings were completely damaged. The left control stick was dislodged and came out of the cockpit. Both cabin doors were deformed and damaged. All avionics and instruments were damaged.
Other Damage
A portion of the abandoned building's roof was damaged.
Personnel Information
The pilot-in-command was a 20-year-old female holding a Student Pilot License valid until 15 December 2016. She had a total flying experience of 41 hours 45 minutes. She began training at Haryana Institute of Civil Aviation, Karnal, logging 4 hours 5 minutes, then moved to M/s Garg Aviation, Kanpur, starting on 3 July 2014. She was released for her first solo flight on 19 July 2014 after 9 hours 55 minutes of flying.
Aircraft Information
VT-SGN was a Cessna 152 (MSN 15284935) manufactured in 1981. It was registered with DGCA under the ownership of M/s Garg Aviation Ltd. on 13 June 1996. The Certificate of Airworthiness was valid until 16 February 2015. The aircraft had logged 19,143.20 airframe hours as of 3 September 2014. The last major inspection (100-hour Approved Inspection Schedule) was conducted at 19,107.10 airframe hours on 22 August 2014. The aircraft empty weight was 559.50 kg, maximum takeoff weight was 759 kg, and weight and balance were within limits before the flight. All applicable Airworthiness Directives, Service Bulletins, and mandatory modifications had been complied with.
Meteorological Information
No Indian Meteorological Department or other weather data was provided in the report.