The Central government released a detailed report on the tragic aviation accident near Baramati Airport that led to the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others. The victims included a personal security officer, an attendant, and two crew members aboard the Learjet 45 aircraft. The crew members were identified as PIC Sumit Kapur and SIC Shambhavi Pathak.
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Learjet 45 with registration VT-SSK, operated by VSR Ventures, was authorized to land on Runway 11 at 8:43 a.m. The aircraft, after aborting an initial landing attempt, failed to respond to communication from Air Traffic Control, leading to a fiery crash near the runway threshold at 8:44 a.m.
The investigation revealed that the pilots had communication with Baramati station at 8:18 a.m. and were cleared for descent under Visual Meteorological Conditions. Despite calm winds and good visibility, the crew faced challenges in locating the runway during the final approach. After a failed landing attempt, the aircraft caught fire upon the second approach, resulting in the tragic incident.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has taken charge of the inquiry, with the government promising further updates as the investigation progresses. The operator, VSR Ventures, is under scrutiny following a previous accident involving another Learjet 45 owned by the company. This incident, occurring at Mumbai Airport, remains under federal investigation since September 14, 2023.
