Rohit Pawar flags TDP link, seeks Civil Aviation Minister’s exit as Baramati crash probe advances
His remarks came a day after investigators confirmed that crucial flight data has been retrieved from the Learjet 45 that crashed near Baramati on January 28, killing Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and four others
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Wednesday questioned the neutrality of the Baramati plane crash investigation, pointing to alleged links between the aircraft operator and leaders of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and said that the owner of VSR Aviation recently hosted his son’s wedding in Jaipur, where a senior TDP leader was present while noting that the Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu belongs to the same party.
In view of these connections, Pawar argued that the minister should not continue in office while the probe is underway, as it may raise doubts about the fairness of the investigation.
His remarks came a day after investigators confirmed that crucial flight data has been retrieved from the Learjet 45 that crashed near Baramati on January 28, killing Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) had said Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) has been successfully downloaded at Flight Recorder Laboratory of Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) is currently undergoing detailed technical analysis.
The aircraft, registered as VT-SSK, was fitted with two independent flight recorders, commonly known as black boxes. Both devices were exposed to severe heat and fire after the crash and suffered heavy damage, complicating the recovery process. Despite this, experts managed to extract data from DFDR.
DFDR contains technical information such as altitude, speed, engine performance and pilot control inputs. Investigators will use this data to reconstruct the final moments before the aircraft went down.
The CVR, which captures cockpit conversations and surrounding sounds, is still being examined. Due to fire damage, assistance has been sought from the Accredited Representative of the State of Manufacture to aid the data retrieval process.
Earlier, on February 16, Rohit Pawar had also raised concerns over the delay in releasing the preliminary inquiry report and called for immediate action against the aircraft operator.
The crash took place near the Baramati airport in Pune district during landing. Ajit Pawar had left Mumbai earlier that morning and was scheduled to address four public meetings in his hometown ahead of the Zila Parishad election.
Along with the senior NCP leader, those who died in the crash were Captain Sumit Kapoor, who had logged over 15,000 flying hours, co-pilot Captain Shambhavi Pathak with around 1,500 hours of experience, Personal Security Officer Vidip Jadhav and flight attendant Pinky Mali.
According to MoCA, the Learjet 45, manufactured in 2010, was operated by VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd, a non-scheduled operator with a valid permit. The company operates a fleet of 17 aircrafts, including seven Learjet 45 jets.
