Baramati, Jan 28 (NationPress) The Central government released a detailed report on Wednesday that chronicles the tragic events culminating in a deadly aviation incident near Baramati Airport. This disaster claimed the lives of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar along with four others, including two crew members.

Besides Deputy CM Pawar, the passengers on the Learjet 45 (registration VT-SSK) operated by VSR Ventures included a personal security officer (PSO), an attendant, and two crew members: Pilot-in-Command (PIC) Sumit Kapur and Second-in-Command (SIC) Shambhavi Pathak.

The deceased were identified as Vidip Jadhav (male) and Pinky Mali (female). According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Learjet 45 was managed by VSR Ventures.

The aircraft received clearance to land on Runway 11 at 8:43 a.m. after the flight crew aborted an initial landing attempt.

However, a troubling silence ensued as Air Traffic Control did not receive any verbal confirmation or readback from the cockpit crew following the landing clearance.

Just sixty seconds later, at 8:44 a.m., ground controllers were horrified to see flames erupt near the runway threshold.

As Baramati operates as an uncontrolled airfield, traffic coordination generally relies on effective communication between instructors and pilots from various flight training institutions using the facility.

Official records indicate that the Learjet first contacted the Baramati station at 8:18 a.m. on Wednesday.

The next communication occurred when the plane was approximately 30 nautical miles from its destination, at which point Pune approach control handed over the aircraft for local coordination.

The pilots were advised to commence their descent under Visual Meteorological Conditions, leaving the timing to their discretion.

During the final approach, the crew asked about wind conditions and visibility and were informed that winds were calm with visibility at about 3000 meters.

Shortly after, the crew indicated they were on final approach for Runway 11 but could not yet see the runway. This lack of visibility prompted the pilots to execute a go-around maneuver.

Following this go-around, Air Traffic Control requested a position update, and once again, the pilots confirmed they were on final approach for Runway 11.

When prompted to confirm runway visibility, the pilots initially replied that the runway was not visible and would report once they established visual contact.

After a brief pause, they confirmed that the runway was now in sight, according to the Ministry's report.

The aircraft was cleared to land on Runway 11 at 08:43 IST; however, they did not provide a readback of the landing clearance, stated the Ministry.

By 8:44 a.m., the sighting of fire at the threshold of Runway 11 triggered an immediate deployment of emergency response teams.

Investigators later discovered the wreckage of the Learjet on the left side of the runway, positioned directly beside the threshold of Runway 11.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has officially taken charge of the crash inquiry. The bureau's Director General is currently en route to the crash site to supervise evidence collection, and the government has promised to update the public as the technical investigation progresses.

This incident has also raised concerns regarding VSR Ventures, which operates a fleet of 17 aircraft.

The Ministry highlighted a troubling precedent, noting that on September 14, 2023, another Learjet 45 owned by the same company, registration VT-DBL, was involved in a separate accident during a landing attempt at Mumbai Airport.

This previous incident is still under investigation by federal authorities.