A training aircraft crashed in a field near Mangalooru village close to Babaleshwar in Vijayapura district, Karnataka, on Sunday, February 8, 2026. The two-seater plane belonged to Red Bird Academy and was traveling from Kalaburagi to Belagavi. Pilot Captain Kunal Malhotra and assistant flight instructor and trainee Goutham Shankar ejected themselves before the crash. Eyewitnesses said the plane nose-dived and flipped over in the field. Both men had minor injuries and bleeding but are now safe. They were immediately taken to a private hospital in Babaleshwar. A crowd of farmers gathered at the crash site, and local police arrived quickly after a call from a young man in Babaleshwar. Police are recording statements of witnesses at the spot. SP Laxman Nimbargi confirmed, "both were safe and were recovering." A case has been registered, and investigations are ongoing.