Ajit Pawar plane crash: DGCA grounds four aircraft of VSR after Baramati crash audit over safety lapses

Former NCP chief was flying in a Learjet 45 XR when it crashed during a second landing attempt, reportedly due to poor visibility.

• DGCA grounds four VSR Ventures aircraft after safety audit
• Audit followed fatal Learjet 45 crash killing Ajit Pawar
• EASA suspended VSR Ventures' EU airspace access after incidents

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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday grounded four aircraft operated by VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd due to multiple violations discovered in a special safety audit conducted after the fatal Learjet 45 crash in Baramati on January 28 in which NCP leader Ajit Pawar was killed, reported Hindustan Times quoting officials aware of the matter.

Investigation into the former Maharashtra deputy chief Minister Ajit Pawar's plane crash had intensified when the aviation watchdog ordered  a special audit of VSR Ventures, the private jet company that flew the leader.

“The audit was ordered on February 2. It commenced on February 4 and was completed by February 16 after which the findings were analysed before a final decision was taken,” the above publication reported quoting an official in the know of the development said.

Former NCP chief was flying in a Learjet 45 XR from Mumbai to Pune when it crashed during a second landing attempt in Baramati, reportedly due to poor visibility. Ajit Pawar and four others on board, including pilot Sumit Kapur, co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak, Pawar's personal security officer Vidip Jadhav, and flight attendant Pinky Mali, were killed on the spot.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the European Union's (EU) aviation regulator that certifies non-EU airlines operating in its territories, had denied permission to VSR Ventures to enter EU airspace, India's aviation regulator DGCA said earlier in a statement.

EASA suspended Third Country Operator (TCO) authorisation for VSR Ventures after the company failed to respond to the EU aviation regulator's queries on an accident on September 14, 2023, involving a Learjet 45 (tail No. VT-DBL), the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in response to a story first reported by The Times of India.

VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd, the registered legal name of the company VSR Aviation, is a New Delhi-based non-scheduled air transport operator specialising in private jet charters, medical evacuations, and aviation consultancy.

The VT-SSK Learjet 45XR that crashed was created in the 1990s as a challenger to Cessna Citation Excel in the "super-light" business category.