The plane that killed Ajit Pawar also crashed in 2023, with the same model, operator, and landing phase.

News Topical, Digital Desk : On Wednesday morning, January 28th, NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died in the Baramati plane crash in Maharashtra. This accident brought to mind the plane crash that occurred in Mumbai on September 14th, 2023. Both cases share a key common denominator: first, both occurred during landing. Furthermore, the planes belonged to the same company and model. Both accidents involved issues such as visibility and last-minute control. Now, questions are being raised about whether this was merely a technical issue or negligence in safety procedures.

The Baramati and Mumbai accidents involved the same company and operating entity. This means the severity of the accident was not assessed at the time. Or perhaps there is another reason. A detailed investigation into the actual cause of the accident is still pending.

aircraft of the same model

The Mumbai and today's accidents involved Bombardier Learjet 45XR series aircraft, which fall into the private business jet category. The Mumbai crash was registered VT-DBL, while the Baramati crash was registered VT-SSK. This model is known for its speed and luxury. VSR Ventures Private Limited was the operator of both.

VSR Ventures is common in both the accidents, the company has good credit, but two major accidents in three years have raised questions on maintenance and operations.

Accident during landing

The Mumbai crash also involved a loss of control during landing. The Baramati crash also occurred during the approach/landing phase. Both showed signs of a lack of a stable approach and a loss of control in the final minutes. The Mumbai crash involved a stall warning and the autopilot disconnected.

Runway and Visibility Factors

Heavy rain, low visibility, and a wet runway were cited as the main causes of the Mumbai accident. Clear visibility is being reported in Baramati, but visual alignment issues and possible low visibility are being discussed on the second approach.

Signs of loss of control

In the Mumbai case, there was a stall warning, speed-angle error, autopilot disconnect. In the Baramati case too, there was runway alignment, go-around, second approach and then crash – that is, a control problem in the final stage.

Question of safety and procedure

The question arises in both cases: Was the approach stable? Was the go-around timed? Were the weather and airstrip limitations taken into account?

Questions are now being raised about the airline company in both accidents. Negligence regarding safety was evident. According to experts, if Mumbai had been more serious about the accident, the second one might have been avoided. The DGCA is currently investigating.

The owner of VSR Ventures responded. 

VSR Ventures said regarding the accident that occurred in 2023, it was raining and visibility was very low. Today is not the time to discuss the year 2023. This is a tragic incident. The pilot and co-pilot were experienced. We are not the investigating agency; the DDCA investigates.

Read More: The plane that killed Ajit Pawar also crashed in 2023, with the same model, operator, and landing phase.