NAGPUR: A woman trainee pilot from Rae Bareli-based Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Akademi (IGRUA) purportedly lost contact with Nagpur’s air traffic control (ATC) and touched down on a taxiway, 1.3km off the main runway of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International airport here on Tuesday.

She had taken off from Gondia on a Diamond-40 aircraft and was flying solo to Nagpur, before a second landing at Raipur.

After it was a blip on ATC radar, a search team dispatched from Nagpur airport scoured the vicinity and tracked her down on the parallel taxiway in Mihan SEZ that serves as a towaway facility for aircraft to maintenance and overhaul depots.

The incident has been reported to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).Runways have clear markings which trained pilots can identify before touchdown and a visible cross sign on taxiway deters the pilot from landing.

Once the aircraft seeks permission to land from ATC, it’s given a trajectory to begin descent.

ATC also asks the pilot whether the runway can be seen.The woman pilot is learnt to have viewed the taxiway by identifying the sign during close descent.

Since she had lost connection with ATC, it was too late to change course and fly towards the runway because she was not aware of air traffic at that time.

To avoid a mishap after going off ATC radar, the pilot brought down the aircraft on the taxiway, said a top source.However, this is just one version of the incident and formal statements would be taken.

ATC officials refused to comment, saying the matter will be investigated by DCGA.

The director of Nagpur Airport Abid Ruhi said both the runway and taxiway have clear markings.A linkway connects the airstrip with taxiway and aircraft going to MROs are towed away on the taxiway, in rare arrangements.

Sources in Mihan SEZ said often cattle and monkeys are spotted on the taxiway.The woman pilot is learnt to have put in over 140 hours of flying of 200 hours needed to bag a commercial pilot licence.

This was, however, her first solo flight to Nagpur, said sources.Gondia already has a full-time flying school — the National Flying Training Institute (NFTI) — a joint venture of Airports Authority of India and Canada Aviation Electronics (CAE).

IGRUA sets up a base at Gondia airport as fog makes it tough to fly in Rae Bareli during winters.

Sources said though the trainee was experienced, this was her first sortie to Nagpur, which has a full-fledged commercial airport, a source said.DGCA will conduct an inquiry and decide on the future course of action.

One of the probabilities is that the pilot may have to put in additional hours of training.