After detecting multiple safety and procedural lapses, the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday ordered the grounding of four aircraft operated by VSR Ventures, whose plane crashed near Baramati last month, killing Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others.
Following the crash of the Learjet 45 aircraft (VT-SSK) on January 28, the DGCA had ordered a special safety audit of VSR Ventures.
DGCA observed non-compliances of approved procedures
According to the regulator, the multi-disciplinary audit team observed several non-compliances of approved procedures in the organisation in the area of airworthiness and air safety.
"In view of the non-compliances observed and considering the gaps in maintenance procedures, it is decided to initiate the corrective measures by immediately grounding Learjet 40/45 aircraft with registration VT-VRA, VT-VRS, VT-VRV, and VT-TRI till continued airworthiness standards are restored," the DGCA said in a statement.
Further, DGCA said deficiency reporting forms have been issued to VSR Ventures in the areas concerned to submit root cause analysis on the non-compliances. The submissions would be assessed by the watchdog before the next course of action.
Meanwhile, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is expected to release its preliminary report on the fatal Baramati crash before February 28. Even as the investigation continues, some quarters have raised concerns and alleged the possibility of a conspiracy behind the incident.
Ajit Pawar's plane crash
Ajit Pawar and four other persons on board an aircraft were killed after it crashed near the Baramati airport in Maharashtra's Pune district on January 28. Pawar had taken off from Mumbai in the morning to address four rallies in the day in Pune district for the February 5 zilla parishad elections.
The others killed in the tragedy were Captain Sumit Kapoor, who had a flying experience of 15,000 hours, and co-pilot Capt. Shambhavi Pathak, with 1,500 hours of flying, Personal Security Officer (PSO) Vidip Jadhav and flight attendant Pinky Mali. The government released a statement detailing the sequence of events that led to the crash and Pawar's death.
The aircraft, a Learjet, was cleared for landing in Baramati after a go-around due to poor visibility, but having finally received a clearance it did not give any read-back to the ATC, and moments later burst into flames on the edge of the runway.
In aviation parlance, a go-around is a standard procedure where a pilot discontinues a landing attempt and initiates a climb to fly another approach. It is used when a landing cannot be completed safely due to factors like poor weather, an unstable approach, or traffic on the runway. It is a proactive safety measure rather than an emergency.
In aviation, a readback is a crucial safety procedure where a pilot repeats back the essential parts of a message or instruction received from Air Traffic Control (ATC). It acts as a "closed-loop" communication system, ensuring that the controller's instructions are heard and understood correctly by the flight crew.
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