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The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Wednesday took over the investigation into the aeroplane crash that killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in Maharashtra, officials told UNI.
An AAIB team has left for the crash site to start the investigation, according to officials.
Separately, AAIB Director General GVG Yugandhar has also left for Baramati from Hyderabad to join the team that would start the investigation with the inspection of the wreckage and crash site for clues, officials said.
Earlier in the day, a Learjet 45 business aeroplane operated by Delhi-based VSR Ventures crashed at Baramati near Pune in Maharashtra at around 8:44 am, killing Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Ajit along with two co-passengers and two crew members, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
In a separate statement, Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said that visibility was poor when the aeroplane was about to land.
Pilots had trouble spotting runway: DGCA
The DGCA said that pilots of the aeroplane had trouble spotting the runway at the Baramati airfield during the descent, according to The Times of India.
The DGCA said that the pilots could not spot the runway during their first approach to land and they did a go-around and came for a second attempt at landing. It said that pilots did not make any mayday call before the crash.
The flight had originated in Mumbai and was bound for Baramati near Pune.
The DGCA said that pilots first contacted the Baramati airfield at 8.18 am and were advised to descend in visual meteorological conditions at their discretion.
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View AllVisibility was reported at around 3,000 metres and winds were calm at the time, the DGCA said.
It was during the second attempt at landing that the aeroplane crashed.
“On the second approach, the crew again reported the runway not in sight before subsequently stating that it was visible. The aircraft was cleared to land at 8:43 am but no readback of the landing clearance was received. Moments later, flames were observed near the threshold of Runway 11. The wreckage was found on the left side of the runway abeam the threshold,” the DGCA said.
The Times of India reported that the DGCA had conducted the last regulatory audit of the operator, VSR Ventures, in February 2025, and did not find any Level-1 findings.
The report said that Wednesday’s crash was the second accident involving VSR Ventures in Maharashtra in the past two and a half years. The previous accident was reported in 2023 and was not fatal.
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