Daijiworld Media Network - Sagar/Seoni
Sagar/Seoni, Dec 10: A trainee aircraft skidded off the runway at the Dhana airstrip in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district on Wednesday, adding to a troubling string of aviation training accidents in the region. The incident occurred just as emergency teams were preparing to airlift an injured soldier from the same runway.
According to Additional Superintendent of Police Lokendra Singh, the solo pilot “miraculously escaped without injuries.” The Dhana airstrip, a major pilot-training hub in the Bundelkhand region, has long faced scrutiny over recurrent mishaps.
Eyewitness accounts indicated that the aircraft suddenly lost control during take-off, veering off the runway before nosediving into nearby scrubland. The impact sent up a cloud of dust and debris, but the pilot managed to climb out safely with only minor injuries, police said. A video capturing the dramatic moment quickly spread across social media.
The incident is the second aviation scare in Madhya Pradesh within three days. On Monday, another trainee aircraft struck a high-tension power line in Seoni district. The aircraft, returning from a routine sortie at around 6:25 p.m., clipped a 33kV line near the Badalpar substation while approaching fields close to the Seoni–Nagpur highway runway. Both the pilot and trainee survived without major injuries.
These back-to-back accidents have revived concerns about flight safety at regional training facilities. Dhana, in particular, has recorded multiple serious incidents, including a fatal crash in January 2020, when a trainer aircraft went down in a fog-covered field during landing, killing both the flight instructor and trainee.
In Monday’s Seoni mishap, instructor pilot Ajit Anthony and trainee Ashok Chawda were treated for fractures and lacerations at the Seoni District Hospital. Doctors have confirmed that both are now stable.
The recent series of accidents has prompted fresh calls for stricter oversight, improved safety protocols, and better monitoring of training operations across Madhya Pradesh’s aviation training centres.