Civil aviation minister announces probe into Ajit Pawar's aircraft crash: 'After ATC cleared landing...'

Ajit Pawar, 66, was among the five killed after an aircraft carrying them crashed in Maharashtra's Pune district on Wednesday morning.

• Ajit Pawar and four others died in a plane crash in Baramati, Maharashtra
• Government to conduct a transparent investigation into the crash
• Poor visibility reported before the aircraft attempted to land

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Union civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on January 28 said the government will conduct a transparent investigation into the aircraft crash in Baramati that killed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and everyone on board, noting that accident was an irreplaceable loss for the people of the state.

Revealing the details of what transpired minutes before the accident, the minister said preliminary information shows that the visibility was poor during the time of landing at around 08:48 am.

“Before landing, ATC asked the pilot whether the runway was in sight, and he confirmed it was not. After a go-around, the aircraft returned to land, and the pilot was again asked if the runway was visible for landing. Then, the pilot confirmed visibility of the runway. After ATC cleared landing, it was seen that the accident had occurred," the aviation minister said.

Video shows exact moment Ajit Pawar’s aircraft crashed and burst into flames

Naidu offered his condolences and said it was difficult to find leaders like him

"My heart is very heavy with sorrow. It is difficult to digest that Ajit Dada is now with us. I offer my condolences to the families of the other four persons who have died in this incident. Ajit Dada used to guide us a lot due to his experience in public service. This is an irreplaceable loss for Maharashtra. It is very difficult to find leaders like him."

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and spoke to NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar. "The prime minister spoke to Sharad Pawar on the sad demise of Ajit Pawar and expressed his condolences," officials said.

Ajit Pawar, 66, was among the five killed after an aircraft carrying them crashed in Maharashtra's Pune district on Wednesday morning.

The NCP leader had left early on Wednesday from Mumbai for Baramati, where he was scheduled to address rallies for the February 5 zilla parishad polls.\