Fatal Cessna 172S Training Accident in Telangana (VT-RGF)

Accident Overview and Flight History On 6 October 2019, a Cessna 172S aircraft registered VT-RGF, operated by Wings Aviation Pvt. Ltd., was destroyed in a fatal accident at Sultanpur Village, Telangana. The aircraft was conducting a solo cross-country training flight from Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad. The pilot in command was a 21-year-old student pilot holding a valid Student Pilot License. The flight departed from runway 27 at 0550 UTC after a delay due to reduced visibility. The student pilot was accompanied by one other person on board. ## Operational Sequence and Weather After takeoff, the aircraft was handed over to ATC Shamshabad and climbed to 4,600 feet. The student pilot later requested and received clearance to climb to 6,500 feet. While approximately 40 nautical miles outbound from Begumpet Airport, radar observations indicated the aircraft climbed to 7,400 feet before descending to 6,400 feet. At 0627 UTC, the student pilot requested a descent to 4,600 feet due to heavy rain and stated the intention to return to Begumpet. The request was approved by the approach radar controller. ## Impact and Investigation At 0628 UTC, the aircraft's radar position symbol disappeared from the display. Subsequent calls by air traffic control received no response. The aircraft was later found crashed in a cotton field in Sultanpur Village. The wreckage was scattered within a radius of about 100 meters from the first point of impact. Both occupants sustained fatal injuries. The investigation was conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, India, with R S Passi serving as Investigator-in-Charge and K Ramachandran as Investigator. The report notes that the aircraft encountered bad weather, specifically heavy rain, prior to the loss of radar contact.