Accident Summary
On 5 January 2023, at approximately 1820 UTC, a Cessna 152 aircraft with registration VT-PTE, owned and operated by Falcon Aviation Academy, crashed at Umari Village, about 0.86 nautical miles south of Rewa Airstrip in Madhya Pradesh. The aircraft was on a night training sortie with a Chief Flight Instructor (CFI) and a student pilot on board. The CFI received fatal injuries, and the student pilot sustained serious injuries. The aircraft was destroyed.
Circumstances of the Flight
Training flights on the day were initially delayed due to low visibility in the morning. After conditions improved, day flights were conducted. For night flying, three aircraft were planned, but due to persistent low visibility, only one aircraft (VT-PTE) was authorized for night training, with the CFI at the controls. The first two sorties of the night were uneventful. During the third sortie, while on approach, the crew could not sight the runway because of low visibility. They performed a go-around and attempted another approach but still could not locate the runway. The CFI then decided to divert to Varanasi. After setting course for Varanasi, ground personnel at Rewa informed the crew that a NOTAM indicated the Varanasi runway was closed. The CFI turned back to Rewa for another landing attempt. Visibility remained poor, and the crew became disoriented while descending to identify visual cues. The aircraft subsequently crashed at Umari Village.
Injuries and Damage
The CFI sustained fatal injuries, while the student pilot suffered serious injuries. There were no passengers on board. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact.
Probable Cause
The investigation determined that the probable cause of the accident was non-adherence to laid down procedures/regulations by the Chief Flight Instructor, resulting in loss of situational awareness leading to Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT).