Rourkela/Bhubaneswar, January 10, 2026 – A major tragedy was averted on Saturday when a small nine-seater private aircraft operated by IndiaOne Air made a forced crash landing near Rourkela in Odisha’s Sundargarh district. The incident occurred at Jalda, approximately 10 kilometers from the Rourkela airstrip.
The Incident The aircraft, a Cessna Grand Caravan C-208 (Registration VT-KSS), was operating a regular regional connectivity flight from Bhubaneswar to Rourkela. According to Biju Patnaik International Airport Director Prasanna Pradhan, the pilot detected a technical snag mid-flight and declared a “Mayday” to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) at 1:14 PM. The pilot successfully maneuvered the plane into an isolated grassland at 1:20 PM to avoid residential areas.
Condition of Occupants Odisha’s Commerce and Transport Minister, BB Jena, confirmed that there were four passengers and two crew members on board. “The passengers have sustained minor injuries and are stable. By the grace of God, this is not a major accident,” Jena told reporters. Local villagers were the first to reach the site and helped rescue those trapped inside the fuselage. The injured were immediately shifted to Ispat General Hospital (IGH) and JP Hospital in Rourkela for treatment.
Government Action Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed his concern over the accident and has directed the district administration to provide the best possible medical care. The state government has officially apprised the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of the situation, and an investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is expected to begin shortly to ascertain the exact cause of the technical failure.
