Rourkela, January 9: A nine-seater private aircraft operated by IndiaOne Air made a dramatic emergency crash landing in an open field near Rourkela on Saturday afternoon. All six people on board, including four passengers and two crew members, survived the incident with what officials described as minor injuries.

The aircraft, a Cessna Grand Caravan EX (Flight C-208), was reportedly en route from Bhubaneswar to Rourkela when it encountered a technical snag mid-air. The pilot, noticing the malfunction approximately 10 kilometers before reaching the Rourkela airstrip, opted for a "belly landing" on a grassland near Jalda to avoid a more catastrophic impact.┬аBomb Threat Mail in Odisha: Bomb Disposal Squads, Dog Squads Deployed After Multiple Courts Receive Threatening E-Mail in Cuttack and Other Parts of State.

Small Aircraft of┬аIndiaOne Air Crashes Near Rourkela

Emergency Landing and Rescue Efforts

The incident occurred around 1:40 PM in the Jalda area of Sundargarh district. According to OdishaтАЩs Commerce and Transport Minister, Bibhuti Bhusan Jena, the pilot's quick thinking likely prevented a major tragedy. "The pilot went for a crash landing at a plain field 10 km before the runway. All six on board are safe," the Minister told reporters.

Upon receiving the alert, fire units from the Rourkela and Panposh fire stations, along with local police, rushed to the site to assist in rescue operations. The injured, who include both passengers and the flight crew, were immediately shifted to a local hospital before being transferred to Ispat General Hospital (IGH) in Rourkela for further care.

Damage and Preliminary Investigation

Preliminary reports indicate that while the fuselage of the aircraft sustained minor damage and the nose slightly nosedived during the impact, the wings remained intact. The Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) confirmed that the landing was attempted after a technical snag was detected in the system.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been apprised of the situation, and a formal investigation is expected to be launched to determine the exact nature of the mechanical fault that forced the emergency landing.

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Government Response

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed his concern over the accident and assured the public that the situation is being monitored closely.

"I am deeply saddened to learn about the plane crash in Rourkela. It is reassuring that all passengers are safe by the grace of Lord Jagannath," the Chief Minister stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He further directed local authorities to provide the best possible medical treatment to those injured in the crash.┬аJaundice Outbreak at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in OdishaтАЩs Khordha, Blood Samples of 54 Students Test Positive.

Background and Context

The flight was part of a regular service between Bhubaneswar and Rourkela under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), which aims to make air travel more accessible to smaller cities. IndiaOne Air is a private operator that frequently serves these regional routes.

While the incident caused significant alarm in the local community, eyewitnesses noted that the pilot's ability to locate a clear grassland for the belly landing was instrumental in ensuring that there were no fatalities.

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 10, 2026 03:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).