DGCA team visits Baramati crash site

Officials said the team examined CCTV footage and video recordings related to the January 28 crash, as part of the ongoing investigation into the incident

A team of four senior officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday inspected the site of the Learjet crash near Baramati in Pune district that claimed the lives of Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others last month.

Ajit Pawar was killed along with pilot Captain Sumit Kapoor, co-pilot Captain Shambhavi Pathak, personal security officer Vidip Jadhav and flight attendant Pinky Mali when the aircraft went down near Baramati airport. (HT FILE)

Officials said the team examined CCTV footage and video recordings related to the January 28 crash, as part of the ongoing investigation into the incident.

Ajit Pawar was killed along with pilot Captain Sumit Kapoor, co-pilot Captain Shambhavi Pathak, personal security officer Vidip Jadhav and flight attendant Pinky Mali when the aircraft went down near Baramati airport.

Following the crash, the Union ministry of civil aviation had stated that Baramati operates as an “uncontrolled airfield”, meaning it does not have a dedicated air traffic control facility. In such airfields, flight-related information is typically relayed by instructors or pilots associated with local flying training organisations.

Union civil aviation minister K Ram Mohan Naidu had earlier said that the investigation into the crash would be conducted within a fixed timeframe.

NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, nephew of the late deputy chief minister, has raised questions about the sequence of events leading to the crash. He has alleged that the circumstances warrant suspicion of sabotage and has called for a comprehensive investigation by multiple expert agencies.