New Delhi: A senior official of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has responded to the allegations made by Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Rohit Pawar on the ongoing investigation into the plane crash in Baramati, which claimed the life of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The official said the probe is being conducted by the "respective body concerned" and will establish the facts.
The response came after the nephew of the late deputy chief minister held a press conference and alleged that the investigation was not being allowed to proceed "in the right direction".
Through a presentation, Rohit Pawar had claimed efforts were being made to shield VSR Aviation, the company whose aircraft was involved in the crash. He questioned whether the aircraft's airworthiness and maintenance records were being properly scrutinised and alleged that individuals lacking technical knowledge of the specific type of plane had been included in the inquiry committee.
"The DGCA was unaware of the flight plans of Ajit Pawar, the flight plans were changed. Now, VSR is trying to align all the paperwork. One should ask for digital evidence, where the papers were signed under the CCTV," he said.
Among the most serious charges levelled by him were those against Chief Flight Operations Inspector Captain Shweta Singh. Pawar alleged that she was "running a big racket" from within the DGCA and demanded that she not continue with the regulator while the investigation into Ajit Pawar's accident is underway.
Replying to these allegations, the official said the crash investigation is being handled by the designated authority, but declined to comment on specifics.
"The crash is under investigation by the respective body concerned. The investigation will reveal what happened. We cannot say anything about it," the official said.
Clarifying Captain Singh's role, the official added that she does not head the aviation regulator and oversees only a specific vertical.
"There are many departments across the DGCA. The official concerned doesn't head the DGCA, she just runs one department. Hence, there are no comments that I have on Rohit Pawar's remarks. He should be aware of who heads the DGCA and ask them the relevant questions," the official said.
'Political Connections'
Rohit Pawar had also alleged that Captain Singh has political connections in Maharashtra and was using her contacts to influence the investigation. He also named Apoorva Agarwal, a member of the audit committee, and claimed that Captain Singh had influenced her inclusion in the panel.
The official dismissed these claims of political motivations and alleged high-level contacts. "He is misguided regarding this. I have no idea what he's talking about, hence I have no comments," the official said.
Investigation
The crash occurred on January 28 near the Baramati airstrip in Pune district when the Learjet 45 aircraft, operated by Delhi-based VSR Ventures and registered as VT-SSK, was attempting to land. The flight from Mumbai was carrying five people, including Ajit Pawar and his security personnel.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), tasked with the technical investigation, has said both flight recorders - the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) - were exposed to intense heat and fire damage during the crash.
The DFDR data has been successfully downloaded at the AAIB's Flight Recorder Laboratory in India. However, the CVR, which records cockpit audio, has sustained more severe damage.
To recover critical cockpit voice data, the AAIB has sought specialised assistance from the accredited representative of the state of manufacture, effectively involving the United States' National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) under international aviation investigation protocols
However, the NCP (SP) leader questioned, "Technically, the black box can be damaged at 1100 degrees Celsius for one hour, which is again installed under the aluminium covering, which has a melting point of 645 degrees Celsius, so how is it possible that part of it is burned?"
"According to norms, two hours of recording is required, but only 30 minutes was done. Why the violations? Where are the accountable managers and safety officials, who are appointed after the DGCA interviews them? Has the DGCA interrogated them?" he asked.
