Report Cites Visibility, Facilities in Pawar Plane Crash

A preliminary investigation report has revealed that low visibility and inadequate facilities at an uncontrolled airfield contributed to the plane crash that killed former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others on January 28. The incident occurred near Baramati airport in Pune district, where the chartered Learjet 45XR, operated by VSR Ventures, crashed while attempting to land.

The aircraft, registered as VTSSK, had departed from Mumbai around 8 a.m., carrying Pawar to his hometown for campaign events ahead of local Zilla Parishad elections. About 45 minutes into the flight, it approached Baramati under dense fog. The crew requested visibility information from the temporary tower, manned by a ground instructor from a flight training organization, who reported conditions at 3 kilometers. This fell short of the 5-kilometer minimum required for Visual Flight Rules operations at the airfield, which lacks full air traffic control and relies on visual cues.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's 22-page preliminary report, released last Saturday, detailed several safety shortcomings at Baramati. The airfield has no certified meteorological equipment;...