PUNE: A trainee pilot of the Redbird Flying Training Academy had a close shave on Thursday afternoon after the aircraft he was flying made a hard landing at Solapur airport, damaging its nose wheel and leaving it stranded on the runway.The incident involving a Tecnam P-Mentor, a twin-seater, single-engine aircraft, took place around 2pm. The aircraft had taken off from Baramati, where the academy is based, at around 1.15pm with a trainee pilot on board.Confirming the incident, an academy spokesperson said the trainee pilot was safe and had not sustained any injuries. The hard landing caused the aircraft’s nose wheel to break and bend, bringing its front portion into contact with the runway as it slowed down.“The incident happened around 2pm. It was a hard landing which resulted in damage to the nose wheel. We are currently coordinating with the Solapur airport authorities to retrieve the aircraft. The aircraft is relatively new and was acquired by the academy in 2025,” the spokesperson told TOI.Sources said the aircraft’s nose became stuck on the runway following the damage. The academy spokesperson added that the aircraft eventually came to rest on its front body after the damaged nose wheel gave way.An official at Solapur airport, which is managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), said the aircraft was yet to be removed from the runway.“It can be removed only after a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) team inspects the aircraft and gives clearance. There are no scheduled aircraft movements at Solapur for now,” the official said.Baramati, around 150km from Solapur by air, is home to two flying training organisations — Redbird Flying Training Academy and Carver Aviation. Both use the Baramati airstrip for pilot training and also handle non-scheduled flight operations. The airstrip is managed by the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited (MADC).The incident comes amid a series of mishaps involving training aircraft in and around Baramati. In August this year, a training aircraft belonging to Carver Aviation veered off the tabletop runway at the Baramati airstrip during a training exercise. Both occupants escaped unhurt in that incident too.
