The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has taken the decision to suspend the operations of Redbird Flight Training Academy at all of its locations after two crash landing incidents occurred within a week. A senior official made this announcement on Monday, emphasizing the need for closer scrutiny of maintenance and operational practices at the institute’s Baramati facility in Maharashtra.
DGCA conducts Special Maintenance Audit
The DGCA is currently conducting a special maintenance audit and proficiency checks for Redbird’s trainer/examiners before considering the resumption of their operations. One of the two crash landing incidents led to minor injuries of the crew.
The accidents happened on October 19 and October 22. The official stated, “Over the past week, Redbird Flight Training Academy’s aircraft experienced two crash landings, indicating issues in maintenance and operational aspects. Therefore, DGCA has temporarily halted the operations of Redbird Flight Training Academy across all of its facilities in the country.”
What led to crash-landing incidents?
In the first incident, which occurred on October 19, a single-engine Tecnam P2008JC aircraft with registration number VT-RBC took off from runway 11 at Baramati with only the Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) on board. During the initial climb at approximately 100 feet, an engine-related problem and power loss occurred. The crew chose to abort the mission and conducted a crash landing just outside the field’s northern boundary.
This flight was meant to investigate a previous issue (abnormal noise and brake problems), but the CFI failed to report or document the problem for maintenance action. The aircraft sustained significant damage due to the crash, and the crew suffered minor injuries.
The second incident occurred on October 22 and involved the same type of aircraft. It experienced power loss while climbing to an assigned altitude of 2,500 feet. The instructor terminated the mission and executed a forced landing in a field roughly two nautical miles from the airport. The aircraft flipped over upon impact, resulting in damage to the landing gear, propeller, wings, and fuselage.
Redbird Flight Training Academy operates a fleet of 30 aircraft, including both single and twin-engine planes.
(With PTI Inputs)