Microlight aircraft force-lands; pilot, co-pilot unhurt

A microlight aircraft that took off from the Jakkur airfield here force-landed three miles away from the runway following an engine failure on Sunday afternoon. The woman pilot and her co-pilot escaped unhurt in the incident.

The bright-red two-seater aircraft, an X Air attached to Bangalore Aerosports, a dedicated microlight flying centre, force-landed at an open field near East Point Hospital on the eastern outskirts of Bengaluru.

Operator and Captain Vinitha Mariappa, a certified instructor, was the pilot, an airfield official said. “The force-landing happened three miles from the Jakkur runway, which was well within our control zone,” the official added.

A team rushed to the spot as soon as it received communication from the aircraft. “We learnt from them that both were safe. There were no injuries. There was no fire or any other eventuality,” the official added.

Force-landing is challenging but remains an option adopted under factors outside the pilot’s control. This is the only option during engine failures, or sometimes during abrupt changes in weather, changes in visibility or wind conditions, as an ATC official explained.

Sudeep, a shepherd at a farmland near East Point Hospital in Avalahalli, said that around noon, he saw a red aircraft moving turbulently with a loud blaring sound and heading towards the nearby village of Kirgur. He heard a crash soon after but could not see the aircraft.

He spotted the turbulent aircraft flying at an unusually low altitude.

The aircraft was in the air for not more than 15-20 minutes before the engine failed. It had no problems while taking off from Jakkur. Enquiries revealed that the aircraft was taken out of its hangar around noon before the training sortie began. No problem was noticed at that stage.

According to aviation experts, microlight aircraft, despite looking flimsy, are sturdy and boast the best safety record in leisure aviation. If there is an engine failure or the aircraft runs into turbulence, these aircraft are capable of gliding safely back to land. This is primarily due to their big, high-lift wings and low-stall speed of about 65 kmph.