A nine-seater private aircraft crashed near the city of Rourkela in eastern India’s Odisha state on Saturday, leaving at least six people with minor injuries.
The aircraft, which went down at Jalda village, around 10km from Rourkela, was operated by a private regional carrier named IndiaOne Airlines. It was operating a regular domestic service between Rourkela and state capital Bhubaneswar.
At the time of the crash, it was carrying four passengers and two crew. According to the state’s commerce and transport minister BB Jena, there were no casualties from the crash and passengers suffered “minor” injuries.
“One A-1 nine-seater private flight carrying six passengers from Rourkela to Bhubaneswar has met with an accident. The passengers have sustained minor injuries and are stable … By the grace of God, this is not a major accident,” Mr Jena told reporters.
The Odisha government has informed India’s civil aviation regulator of the incident, and senior officials are expected to visit the crash site, he added.
Prasanna Pradhan, the director of the Biju Patnaik International Airport, an airport serving Bhubaneswar, also confirmed to Indian media that the plane made a crash landing around 10km short of Rourkela and everyone on board was safe.
According to News18, the aircraft encountered technical trouble shortly after attempting to take off for Bhubaneswar and came down near the airstrip area. Fire units from Rourkela and Panposh were rushed to the site, along with emergency response teams.
A mechanical failure is suspected to have caused the crash landing, though officials said a detailed investigation would be conducted to determine the exact reason.
Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi wrote in a post on X that he was personally monitoring the situation and had directed officials to ensure immediate medical care for those injured.
“I am deeply saddened to learn about the plane crash that occurred in Rourkela. The news that all passengers are safe by the grace of Lord Jagannath is reassuring. I have directed that immediate best medical services be provided to those injured in this incident. I am personally monitoring the situation. I am praying at the feet of Lord Sri Jagannath for the swift recovery of all,” Mr Majhi wrote.
India’s aviation sector has been under scrutiny in recent months amid high-profile incidents and wider operational turmoil. In June 2025, Air India Flight 171 crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad en route to London, killing 260 people, one of the worst air disasters involving an Indian carrier in decades.
More recently, the country’s largest airline IndiGo faced a major service disruption in December 2025, cancelling thousands of flights and stranding many passengers for more than a week.
