AAIB preliminary report finds procedural lapses at local flying school
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in its preliminary report on the August 27 training aircraft crash in Kanpur has found that the flying training organisation (FTO) operating the aircraft failed to comply with prescribed flight-data monitoring requirements and maintained no standard operating procedure (SOP) for such monitoring. The bureau has recommended that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) direct Garg Aviation and other FTOs to strictly follow the regulator's 2022 circular on flight-data monitoring.
The aircraft, a Tecnam P2006T registered VT-NBV, departed Kanpur Civil Aerodrome at about 11:11 am on August 27 for a training sortie involving abnormal and emergency procedures. At about 11:25 am the crew made a radio call reporting "Ops Normal" and said they would call back after ten minutes; no further communication was received. The aircraft later crashed near the Ganga Barrage, killing the two occupants — a deputy chief flight instructor and a trainee pilot.
- AAIB found Garg Aviation said it carried out random monitoring of Garmin system data but kept no records.
- There was no SOP defining how monitoring was conducted or what exceedance limits were to be considered.
- AAIB has recommended DGCA issue specific procedural guidelines and include them in Training and Procedures Manuals.
"When queried on flight data monitoring, the FTO stated that random monitoring of Garmin data was being carried out; however, no records of such monitoring were maintained, and there was no SOP defining how the monitoring was conducted or what exceedance limits were considered for it," the report said.
What the report records and the immediate recommendations
The AAIB has urged the DGCA to direct flying training organisations to adhere strictly to the flight-data monitoring requirements set out in the regulator's 2022 circular. The bureau further recommended that the DGCA issue specific guidelines detailing the procedure for flight-data monitoring and make these part of the Training and Procedures Manual of FTOs.
The preliminary report also documents the sequence of events on the day of the accident and the air traffic response. After the last radio call from VT-NBV at about 11:25 am, the runway/RT controller's subsequent attempts to contact the aircraft met with no response. Other aircraft in the area were asked to establish contact with VT-NBV but were unsuccessful.
| Event | Time (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Take-off from Kanpur Civil Aerodrome | 11:11 am |
| Radio call: "Ops Normal"; crew to call after 10 minutes | 11:25 am |
| No response to subsequent contact attempts; aircraft crashed near Ganga Barrage | After 11:25 am |
Local stakes and regulatory implications
The findings place a spotlight on compliance and oversight at flying training organisations operating out of Kanpur and other regional aerodromes. Flight-data monitoring is intended to identify exceedances and trends that can be corrected through training or maintenance; absence of documented monitoring or SOPs reduces the ability of regulators and operators to spot systemic risks.
For Kanpur — which hosts the Civil Aerodrome used by private and training aircraft — the AAIB recommendations, if adopted by the DGCA, could lead to immediate regulatory action including audits of FTOs, tighter documentation requirements and mandated updates to Training and Procedures Manuals. Such measures aim to strengthen safety margins for training flights that routinely practise emergency and abnormal procedures within the city’s airspace.
The AAIB's preliminary report does not ascribe causation for the accident; it records procedural shortcomings and sets out steps for regulatory follow-up. The bureau's full final findings, expected after detailed technical examination, will be needed to determine the exact sequence of mechanical or human factors that led to the crash.
Local authorities and the DGCA were named as the recipients of the AAIB recommendations in the report. The recommendation for standardised, recorded flight-data monitoring follows earlier regulator guidance from 2022 and signals renewed attention to training safety at a time when general aviation activity is expanding in several tier-II cities including Kanpur.
