Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Ajit Pawar and four other persons were killed after an aircraft carrying them crashed in Pune this morning.
The Learjet 46, operated by Delhi-based VSR Ventures, crash-landed around 8:45 am, 35 minutes after taking off from Mumbai. The other victims included Pawar's PSO and attendant and two crew members (the pilot in command and the first officer).
The plane reportedly lost control and crashed while landing at Baramati Airport. The aircraft caught fire after the crash.
According to sources, Pawar's body was identified by his wristwatch. Ironically, NCP's official election symbol is a clock.
Pawar, 66, was travelling to Baramati to address public meetings as part of the campaign for the February 5 local body elections in the state.
He is survived by his wife, Sunetra, a member of the Rajya Sabha, and two sons, Parth and Jay.
Sequence Of Events Leading To Ajit Pawar's Crash
The Ministry of Civil Aviation said that Ajit Pawar's aircraft first came in contact with Baramati at 8:18 am.
"The aircraft's next call was at 30 NM inbound to Baramati and they were released by Pune approach. They were advised to descend in visual meteorological conditions at pilot's discretion. The crew enquired about the winds and visibility and they were informed that the winds were calm and visibility was around 3,000 metres," the ministry said in an official statement, while describing the sequence of events leading to the deadly crash.
The aircraft then reported on the final approach of Runway 11, and the runway was "not in sight" to them. They then initiated a go-around in the first approach.
"After the go-around, the aircraft was asked about its position and crew reported on final approach of runway 11. They were asked to report runway in sight. They replied 'runway is currently not in sight, will call when runway is in sight'. After a few seconds they reported that the runway is in sight," the ministry said.
The aircraft was then cleared to land on runway 11 at 8:43 am. However, they did not give a "read back" of the landing clearance. A "read back" is a safety procedure where a pilot repeats critical instructions from the Air Traffic Control (ATC) to confirm correct reception.
Next, the ATC saw the flames around the threshold of runway 11 at 8:44 am, the ministry said.
