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What led to Ajit Pawar plane crash? CID takes over probe into freak accident
Ajit Pawar and four others travelling on an aircraft died after it crashed barely 200 metres from the end of a tabletop runway at Baramati airport on Wednesday.
Police have filed an accidental death report (ADR) in connection with the plane crash that killed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others in Baramati. The case will now be passed to the Maharashtra Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which will carry out its probe based on the findings of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) inquiry.
Pawar, 66, and four others travelling on a chartered aircraft died after it crashed barely 200 metres from the end of a tabletop runway at Baramati airport on Wednesday. Follow latest updates related to Ajit Pawar's funeral here.
Those who lost their lives were Captain Sumit Kapoor, who had 15,000 hours of flying experience, co-pilot Capt. Shambhavi Pathak, who had logged 1,500 hours, personal security officer (PSO) Vidip Jadhav, and flight attendant Pinky Mali. A special team from the AAIB reached the crash site on Wednesday evening to begin a forensic examination into the accident.
ADR case registered, to be handed over to CID
An accidental death report has been filed in connection with the incident, an official told news agency PTI.
“We have registered an accidental death report with the Baramati taluka police station,” a senior police officer from the Pune rural police told the news agency.
As part of the process, the ADR will be passed to the Maharashtra CID, which will carry out its inquiry based on the findings of the AAIB.
The AAIB, which works under the ministry of civil aviation, has already taken charge of the investigation into the crash.
A CID official told PTI that when an influential public figure dies in an accident, the case is usually handled by them. “We have not yet received any orders. However, it is likely that CID will receive the orders and conduct the probe into the ADR registered with local police,” he said.
Ajit Pawar dies in plane crash
The NCP chief took off from Mumbai in the morning to address four rallies in Pune district on Wednesday for the February 5 Zilla Parishad elections.
The government issued a statement detailing the series of events that led to the crash and Pawar’s death.
The aircraft, a Learjet, was given permission to land at Baramati after a go-around due to poor visibility. After receiving clearance, it did not provide a read-back to air traffic control and, moments later, caught fire at the edge of the runway.
With inputs from agencies
