Udupi/Kanpur: A 22-year-old trainee pilot from Udupi district was among two people killed when a training aircraft crashed shortly after take-off in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday.

The deceased was identified as Abhishek Poojary, originally from Kadaberke in Kanajaru village under the Hiriyadka police station limits of Udupi district. He was the son of Prabhakar Poojary and Shashikala Poojary and was currently residing in Mumbai.

Abhishek had been undergoing private pilot training in Kanpur for around two-and-a-half years.

According to police sources, the four-seater, twin-engine aircraft took off from an airfield in Kanpur Cantonment at around 11.20 am on Thursday. It crashed in a field in the Nattha Purwa locality just a few minutes after take-off.

The other person killed in the crash was identified as Sumit Bhatia, a resident of Gujarat. Bhatia reportedly had around 3,000 hours of flying experience.

A rescue team that reached the crash site found both pilots seriously injured and faced difficulties while extricating them from the wreckage. They were rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival.

Officials from the company that owned the aircraft later reached the site and initiated an investigation into the cause of the crash.

Abhishek had strong family ties to Udupi

Although Abhishek was living in Mumbai, he maintained close ties with his ancestral home in Udupi. He would reportedly visit his family in Kanajaru’s Kadaberke area from time to time.

His parents, Prabhakar and Shashikala Poojary, are originally from Kadaberke in Kanajaru village. Abhishek was also known to visit the residence of his maternal uncle Jeevan Kumar in Kadaberke.

Following the tragedy, family members have travelled to Kanpur for the necessary procedures. Police said legal formalities are currently under way.

The sudden death of the young trainee pilot has left his family and relatives in Udupi in shock.