A woman trainee pilot died when an aircraft belonging to a private aviation academy crashed in Nalgonda district of Telangana on Saturday, police said.
Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said he was shocked. A team of investigators is on its way to the mishap site.
Mahima (28), who has been training for the past four months, took off on the Cessna 152 aircraft at about 10.25 AM and it was flying over Tungaturthi village in the district, a police official told news agency PTI.
An eye-witness saw the plane crashing down on a field and breaking into pieces. There was no fire after the crash, the official said.
By the time the eye-witness reached the plane, its pilot was dead. She was only occupant on the aircraft.
The academy is based at Macherla in Andhra Pradesh and very close to Telangana. The trainee pilot took off from an airstrip meant for training, said the official.
She was on a routine flight and was supposed to return to the base. She was a native of Tamil Nadu, but used to live at Secunderabad.
Mr Scindia said on twitter he was shocked to hear about the crash.
"An investigation team has been rushed to the site. Unfortunately, we lost the student pilot," he noted.
The minister expressed condolences to the bereaved family.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Trainee Pilot, 21, Dies In UP After Small Aircraft He Was Flying Crashes Indian-Origin Trainee Britain's Royal Air Force Pilot Dies In UK "We Ran Out Of Missiles": US Fighter Pilots Recall Iran's Attack On Israel 10-Crore Lawsuit Over 3-Second Clip? What's Behind Nayanthara-Dhanush Spat US To India In 30 Minutes? Elon Musk Discusses Future Of Ultra-Fast Travel Family Claims Dead Man's Eye Taken Out In Bihar Hospital, Doctors Blame Rats Video: Man Finds Insects In Sambhar On Vande Bharat Train, Railways Reacts GAIL Hiring For 261 Positions, Salary Up To Rs 1.80 Lakh/Month Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.