The pilot of the Learjet aircraft that crashed near Baramati had conveyed to Air Traffic Control (ATC) that he could not see the runway, sources told CNN-News18, as investigators probe whether a possible
misjudgement during the landing sequence contributed to the fatal accident that claimed the life of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others.
According to the officials, the aircraft was attempting to land at the tabletop airstrip when the crew flagged visibility issues.
“Prima facie it appears to be a misjudgement,” one of the officials said, while stressing that the investigation is still at a preliminary stage.
They added that it is not yet known whether the landing was attempted despite poor visibility on someone’s directions from within the cockpit.
The officials also confirmed that a “go-around”, a standard aviation manoeuvre in which a landing is aborted and the aircraft circles back for another attempt, had been conducted before the final approach.
Further details, they said, would emerge as the inquiry progresses.
AJIT PAWAR KILLED IN BARAMATI PLANE CRASH
The aircraft carrying Ajit Pawar crashed barely 200 metres from the edge of the airstrip.
Besides Pawar, those killed included Captain Sumit Kapoor, who had 15,000 hours of flying experience, co-pilot Captain Shambhavi Pathak with 1,500 hours, Personal Security Officer Vidip Jadhav and flight attendant Pinky Mali.
Police have registered an accidental death report in connection with the crash.
On Wednesday, the government released a statement detailing the sequence of events, noting that the aircraft had been cleared for landing after a go-around due to poor visibility.
However, after receiving final clearance, it did not give any read-back to ATC and moments later burst into flames near the edge of the airstrip.
The Civil Aviation Ministry confirmed that the aircraft’s black box, comprising the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder, had been recovered, a crucial development expected to help investigators reconstruct the final moments of the flight and determine what led to the tragedy.
AJIT PAWAR CREMATED WITH FULL-STATE HONOURS
Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar’s last rites were held with full state honours on Thursday at the Vidya Pratishthan ground in Baramati, around 100 km from Pune.
The 66-year-old Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief’s funeral was attended by several senior political leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Ramdas Athawale, BJP president Nitin Nabin, former Union minister Sharad Pawar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, former Union Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh were also present.
Pawar’s wife, Sunetra, a Rajya Sabha member, and his sons, Parth and Jay, attended the ceremony, along with his cousin and Baramati MP Supriya Sule and NCP working president Praful Patel.
Thousands gathered as Pawar’s mortal remains, draped in the national flag, were brought from his village, Katewadi, to the funeral ground, chanting slogans in his memory.
Parth and Jay later lit the funeral pyre.
Earlier in the day, Pawar’s body was taken from the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Hospital in Baramati, where it had been kept overnight.
