How A Pilot From Pune Survived A Collision And Retained Flight

On the morning of July 25, 2022, Bhavika Rathod’s day began just like any other training day. The 24-year-old pilot trainee from Swargate in Pune had already logged 150 flying hours towards her commercial pilot license. She felt confident, focused, and was only 50 hours away from realizing her lifelong dream. But then, at 11:30 am, everything changed in a heartbeat.

About Bhavika

“I finished Class 12 back in 2019, I really started to chase my dream of becoming a pilot and began looking for flying schools. The whole process was put on hold because of the COVID lockdown, but eventually, in October 2021, I enrolled at Carver Aviation flying school in Baramati”, she shares.

To get a commercial pilot license, you have to log 200 flying hours and pass six theory exams, which typically takes about two years.

With no way to go back to where she started, Bhavika’s training took over. “I noticed a slightly damp area of farmland in Kadbanwadi village in Indapur, just like my instructors had taught me to find to minimize landing drag”, she explained.

What Happened

“After I hit 150 flying hours, it felt like just another day. I took off from Baramati in a Cessna-152 for a standard cross-country flight. Only 15 nautical miles into the trip, at around 1,000 feet above the ground, the engines of the aircraft suddenly lost power”, Bhavika recalls.

In those harrowing seconds between the engine failing and hitting the ground, Bhavika successfully crash-landed the plane. She came out with just a few minor scratches on her chin. Thankfully, no one on the ground was injured, even though the aircraft went down less than 100 feet from the closest house.

“I was totally in shock”, she recalls. “This is the worst possible scenario in aviation. But by God’s grace, I survived”.

The crash triggered a mandatory investigation by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). After three grueling days of questioning, Bhavika was placed on a cooling off period required break from flying that follows any aircraft accident.

“It was really traumatic. I slowly started to lose my confidence, hope, and the courage to fly again”, she shares. “I began to doubt myself and eventually fell into depression. After two months, I made the decision to quit and pursue a BBA instead to join my family business”. However, Bhavika’s loved ones had different ideas.

“My family and friends encouraged me to rebuild my self belief. They helped me dismiss the thoughts of ending my flying career”, she explains.

Five months after the accident, in December 2022, Bhavika got a no objection certificate for corrective training, which is a phase where trainee pilots fly with instructors until they feel confident enough to fly solo.

In January 2023, Bhavika returned to Carver Aviation. She saw the same hallways and the same runway where her dreams had once fallen apart. “My colleagues and the staff at the academy, especially my instructor Captain Madhav Raj Singh, helped me regain my confidence”, she shares.

The road back wasn’t a walk in the park. Each take-off reminded her of that tragic day. By September 2023, Bhavika had earned her official Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL).

“Social media turned out to be a great support for me”, she explains. “

After I got my CPL, other candidates who had experienced similar crashes reached out to me for advice on handling negative thoughts. I could assist them because I had gone through the same ordeal.

“To everyone feeling down in life, my advice is to stay brave and keep your hope alive. This will surely help you reach your dreams”, she shares.

Last year, Bhavika finished her type rating course, a focused 45-day training program on the Airbus 320 in Spain. Right now, she’s getting ready to join an aircraft carrier and has her eyes set on an even greater goal flying an Airbus A380 one day.