‘Where did they go?’: AAIB probes Delhi charter firm after Ajit Pawar crash; staff ‘missing’, office shutters down

• AAIB began probe into Baramati crash that killed Ajit Pawar and four others
• Investigators found gaps and missing people at VSR Aviation's Delhi office
• Learjet 45 crashed after 35-minute flight; all five on board died

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The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau on Wednesday began its probe into the Baramati plane crash that killed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others, with investigators encountering unexplained gaps during their first inspection of the charter operator’s Delhi office, The Indian Express reported.

Hours after the Learjet crashed while attempting to land at Baramati airport, AAIB officials reached the Mahipalpur office of VSR Aviation, the private charter firm that operated the aircraft. According to The Indian Express, investigators said several people seen inside the compound earlier were suddenly missing.

‘Please cooperate’

At the office gate, investigators questioned a gatekeeper, asking for his Aadhaar card to verify his identity. “If you cooperate nothing will happen to you,” one official told him, The Indian Express reported. The gatekeeper repeatedly denied knowledge of the missing individuals, saying he had children to support.

The officials arrived at the compound around 11.30 am, and were still questioning the gatekeeper when The Indian Express reached the spot minutes later.

Locked rooms, unanswered questions

Investigators then inspected a basement door they suspected was connected to the main office. Finding it locked from inside, one official questioned how it could be shut if no one was present, according to the report.

The AAIB team waited in their official vehicle until around 12.15 pm, when a person linked to VSR Ventures arrived and opened the office. Another official later entered after removing his lanyard, after which the shutter was closed from outside as discussions continued inside, The Indian Express said.

What is known about the crash

Flight tracking data shows the Learjet flew for about 35 minutes before disappearing from radar near Baramati. Preliminary information from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation indicates none of the five people on board survived.

The Learjet 45, registered as VT-SSK, took off from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at around 8.10 am and vanished from tracking systems at about 8.45 am after looping to align with the Baramati runway, according to Flightradar24 data cited by The Indian Express.

Aircraft and operator details

The Learjet 45 is a mid-size business jet built by Bombardier Aerospace, with around 640 aircraft produced globally between 1995 and 2012. The nine-seater jet belonged to VSR Aviation, which, according to DGCA records, operates a fleet of 18 aircraft.

Company records show VSR operates through VSR Ventures and VSR Aero Engineering, with Vijay Kumar Singh and Rohit Singh listed as directors. Sources cited by The Indian Express said both are pilots by training.

Given the fatal nature of the crash, the AAIB will lead the investigation into the cause, examining flight data, aircraft maintenance records and operational practices. The early focus on the operator’s office signals that scrutiny has moved swiftly beyond the crash site to the company behind the flight.