Baramati plane crash: Black box recovered, AAIB begins probe

A black box is a device that records key flight data and cockpit conversations, and plays a crucial role in accident investigations

New Delhi: The government on Thursday said the black box of the Learjet 45 aircraft that crashed in Maharashtra’s Baramati a day earlier, killing five people including Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, has been recovered, adding that the investigation into the accident is progressing swiftly.

Five people were killed when the business jet attempted to land for the second time after a go-around on Wednesday morning.

“A team of three officers from AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau), Delhi, and another team of three officers from the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation), Mumbai Regional Office, reached the crash site on 28 January. The Director General, AAIB, also arrived at the site the same day. The investigation is progressing expeditiously, and the black box of the ill-fated aircraft has been recovered,” the post read.

A black box is a device that records key flight data and cockpit conversations, and plays a crucial role in accident investigations.

Five people — including Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, his personal security officer Vidhit Jadhav, two cockpit crew members, pilot-in-command Sumit Kapur and first officer Shambhavi Pathak, along with cabin crew member Pinky Mali — were killed when the business jet attempted to land for the second time after a go-around on Wednesday morning.

The aircraft, bearing registration VT-SSK, was being operated by Delhi-based non-scheduled operator VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd.

A team from the AAIB, along with Director General (DG) GVG Yugandhar, reached Baramati to investigate the accident. “Following the unfortunate aircraft accident near Baramati, all requisite response and investigative mechanisms were activated immediately. Ensuring a thorough, transparent, and time-bound inquiry remains a top priority,” the Ministry of Civil Aviation posted on X.

The social media post said that the government “remains fully committed to completing the investigation within a defined timeframe, strictly in accordance with established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and laid-down guidelines,” adding that the probe had been initiated in accordance with Rules 5 and 11 of the AAIB Rules, 2025.

As per FlightRadar24, a live aircraft tracking website, the aircraft took a largely linear path towards the town, rising to a peak altitude of 19,000 feet above sea level and holding that height for three minutes as it crossed the Western Ghats.

In a detailed statement on Wednesday, the government said that the pilots contacted the local air traffic control (ATC) around 30 nautical miles (Nm) short of the airport, when ATC advised the flight to “descend in visual meteorological conditions at the pilot’s discretion”.

The crew had asked about the winds and visibility. “They were informed that the winds were calm and visibility was around 3,000 metres,” the civil aviation ministry release said.

“The aircraft was cleared to land on runway 11 at 0843 IST; however, they did not give a readback of the landing clearance. Next, the ATC saw flames around the threshold of runway 11 at 0844 IST. The emergency services then rushed to the crash site,” the release added.

The aircraft is likely to have smashed into the ground just short of the runway, to its left, and erupted into a ball of flames.