Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu on Thursday replied to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s letter seeking details of the deadly plane crash in Baramati that claimed the lives of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and 4 others a day earlier.
In its response, the government said the aircraft’s black box has been recovered and secured for detailed analysis. It added that all technical records, operational details and evidence from the accident site are being examined to establish the sequence of events and factors that led to the crash.
AAIB launches formal investigation
The civil aviation ministry said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has launched a formal probe into the crash. The investigation, it said, will be conducted in a thorough, transparent and time bound manner. The ministry also noted that it has taken cognisance of the chief minister’s request to consider measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
What is a black box?
The black box is one of the most crucial components of an aircraft and is considered a primary source of evidence in plane crash investigations. According to the World Aviation Flight Academy, it is a device designed to capture and store critical data during a flight.
Tragic plane crash in Baramati
Ajit Pawar, his security officer Vidip Jadhav, pilot in command Captain Sumit Kapur, first officer Captain Shambhavi Pathak and flight attendant Pinky Mali were killed when the Learjet 45 aircraft crashed in Baramati on Wednesday morning.
The civil aviation ministry later released details of the final communication between the flight crew and air traffic control. According to the release, the aircraft made 2 landing attempts at Baramati, which operates as an uncontrolled airport.
The ATC at Baramati is manned by pilot cadets from 2 local flying schools on alternate days.
During the first attempt, the crew informed ATC that the runway was not in sight. Visual contact with the runway was later confirmed, following which clearance for landing was granted at 8:43 am.
According to the ministry, the ATC witnessed the aircraft going up in flames just a minute after the clearance was issued.
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