Mumbai: The NCP-SP legislator Rohit Pawar, Saturday, appealed to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah to order a comprehensive, transparent and independent investigation into the Learjet-45 aircraft accident near Baramati involving former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, which took place January 28.
In a detailed letter, Rohit Pawar flagged multiple “alarming discrepancies” and safety lapses, suggesting that the crash near Baramati may not have been a mere accident.
The letter highlights several critical points surrounding the final moments of the Bombardier Learjet-45 (VT-SSK) operated by VSR Ventures, including last-minute crew swap, pilot conduct, technical anomalies, operator history and landing decision.
“Both original pilots were reportedly replaced at the last minute, allegedly due to “traffic delays”, raising questions about mandatory reporting norms and duty regulations. The pilot was a “habitual drinker” and had been warned by the owner to stay sober before flights. There was another issue of a premature transponder signal loss just before the crash, and a lack of recorded EGPWS (Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System) alerts. The same operator was involved in a serious crash at Mumbai Airport in 2023,” the NCP-SP legislator said.
Rohit Pawar added that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) had revoked the operator’s authorisation in 2024 due to safety violations — a fact he claims was communicated to Indian authorities but seemingly ignored.
He also said that despite low visibility, the pilot reportedly insisted on landing on Runway 11 (a tabletop runway) instead of the safer Runway 29, even after executing a go-around.
Rohit Pawar has urged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Home Ministry to ground all VSR aircraft and Arrow Aircraft Sales, involve the Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (France) or Air Accidents Investigation Branch (UK) to ensure a transparent and neutral inquiry and form a monitoring committee, including family members of the late Ajit Pawar and state MPs/MLAs.
“Maharashtra has lost a mass leader (Ajit Pawar) whose life was dedicated to public service… If serious lapses by operators are not examined with full accountability, the safety of other leaders and citizens is at risk,” the NCP-SP legislator noted.
Simultaneously, Rohit Pawar took to social media to highlight his demand.
In his post on X, the NCP-SP legislator said, “Many doubts have arisen regarding the plane crash involving Ajit Dada Pawar, and these doubts, along with the facts, were presented to the public through a press conference. On this very matter, an attempt was made to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, as well as the DGCA, but the meeting could not take place. Consequently, along with a presentation, all our doubts were emailed to the Union Home Minister, Civil Aviation Minister, and DGCA, requesting a thorough and impartial investigation into this crash to bring the facts before the public. I am confident that a positive response will be received in this regard, and an objective resolution to the many questions that have troubled not just me but the entire state of Maharashtra will be achieved.”
Rohit Pawar also noted, “Even after holding the press conference, while the investigation has gained some momentum, it still does not appear to be progressing at the expected pace. The Union Home Minister and Civil Aviation Minister may not have been able to spare time due to being occupied with the Parliament session, but it remains unclear why the DGCA did not grant time. Even if the authorities have not given us time, all the information has been sent to them; even though we are not in power, we are continuing to follow up in our own way, and I expect that the state government and everyone in power will also pursue this.”
