Ajit Pawar Crash: How Safe Are Private Charter Flights? | InFocus Episode 48 | Jist скачать в хорошем качестве

Ajit Pawar Crash: How Safe Are Private Charter Flights? | InFocus Episode 48 | Jist

The death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash in Baramati in Pune district has raised concerns over safety of private charter flight operations. Jist News Director Rahul Shrivastava spoke with aviation expert Amit Singh to understand whether non-scheduled operators (charter companies) in India are regulated as strictly as commercial airlines. In the wake of the Learjet 45 crash near Baramati Airport, there are demands that the probe should focus on weather conditions, visibility, landing decisions, pilot choices, and aircraft maintenance. According to the government’s official statement, the pilot’s first landing attempt at Baramati Airport failed due to poor visibility, leading ATC to advise a go-around. After circling the runway, the pilot reported visual contact and was cleared to land on a second attempt, during which the accident occurred. Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu has said, “A detailed investigation will examine what happened during this critical phase, and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will extend all necessary assistance.” All five people on board the flight from Mumbai to Baramati were killed. Apart from Ajit Pawar, the air crash killed pilots Captain Sumit Kapur and Captain Shambhavi Pathak, crew member Pinky Mali and Pawar's personal security officer Vidip Jadhav. Baramati is an uncontrolled airfield. This means it operates without full Air Traffic Control (ATC) services. This puts the responsibility for navigation and landing squarely on the pilots. Since the Baramati airport has a smaller airfield without full ATC services, questions are being raised about the safety of landing larger business jets there. Even aircraft maintenance and operator record is under scrutiny. The ill-fated jet’s operator, VSR Ventures (VSR Aviation), is under scrutiny because a similar Learjet 45 belonging to the same company had crash-landed in Mumbai on September 14, 2023. All the eight people on board that charter flight from Visakhapatnam to Mumbai had a miraculous escape.