Ajit Pawar plane crash: Black box recovered, DGCA to take custody

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's plane in flames after it crashed during landing, at Baramati in Pune district

The black box of the ill-fated aircraft, which crashed in Baramati on January 28 and killed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, was recovered by the local authorities, CNN News18 reported.

The box was located in the rear of the aircraft and now will be handed over to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for further investigation, the report said.

A black box is a recording device inside the aircraft, which helps in understanding the events leading to an accident.

Pawar and four others were killed on Wednesday after a chartered aircraft crashed around 200 metres short of the tabletop runway at Baramati airport in Pune district.

The death of the 66-year-old leader, popularly known as “Dada” in the state, has not only created a void in the BJP-led ruling alliance in Maharashtra but has also raised questions over the future of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which he led.

NCP founder and Pawar’s uncle Sharad Pawar described the crash as an accident and urged that it should not be politicised.

The 16-year-old aircraft, operated by VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd, went down while attempting a second landing at Baramati airport, an uncontrolled airfield where traffic advisories are generally provided by instructors and pilots from nearby flying training organisations.

Ajit Pawar had departed from Mumbai earlier in the day and was scheduled to address four rallies in Pune district in connection with the February 5 zilla parishad elections.

Those killed along with him were Captain Sumit Kapoor, who had logged over 15,000 flying hours, co-pilot Captain Shambhavi Pathak with 1,500 hours of experience, personal security officer Vidip Jadhav, and flight attendant Pinky Mali.