New Delhi: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died in a tragic plane crash at Baramati Airport on January 28. Ajit was travelling in a Bombardier Learjet 45, operated by VSR Aviation, including DYCM, when four other people lost their lives in the crash.
VK Singh, owner of the Delhi-based private company, called for a probe, as this accident marked the second major accident for the aviation company. In 2023, another Learjet 45 crashed at Mumbai Airport.
Singh asserted that the aircraft had no technical failures or problems, and that it was very well maintained.
“There was no technical failure in the aircraft,” Singh stated.
The Singhs’ company operated seven Learjets, and when asked about plans to ground the remaining aircraft, he firmly rejected the idea, saying that, according to him, all aircraft are fit, so why ground them?
“Why should I ground them? They are all fit aircraft. Why should I ground them? That’s not my decision,” Singh said.
Singh pointed out that Learjet is considered one of the most dependable aircraft across the world.
Victims in crash
The mid-size business jet aircraft went off the runway while touching down and burst into flames. There were five people in the aircraft: Ajit Pawar, Ajit’s personal security officer, Vidip Jadhav, two pilots, Sumit Kapur and Shambhavi Pathak; and a flight attendant, Pinki Mali. All of them died in the crash.
Pathak was the first officer, flying the plane alongside Captain Kapur.
Singh confirmed that the captain was a seasoned pilot with more than 16,000 hours of experience, while the co-pilot had 1,500 hours of experience.
In the preliminary report, due to low visibility, the aircraft initiated a go-around during its first attempt, and in the second, the crew confirmed the runway was in sight but failed to get landing clearance at 8:43 am IST.
In 2013, the Learjet crashed while landing amid heavy rain and poor visibility.
“Even during the 2023 incident, it was raining, and there was low visibility,” Singh said.
Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan confirmed that the visibility was poor when the aircraft was trying to land in Baramati.