Aviation Ministry To Inspect Uncontrolled Airfields After Ajit Pawar Crash: Sources

Following the death of Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others in a crash at the uncontrolled Baramati airfield last month, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has rolled out an inspection of uncontrolled airstrips. A Learjet XR crashed on 28 January leaving Ajit Pawar and four others dead.

Sources confirmed that this has been done with the idea of implementing a set of protocols for operations in these uncontrolled airstrips. Moreover, a monitoring mechanism will also be formulated which will be jointly managed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and respective states.

Sources said that this is at a nascent stage and will be fully implemented with time. In the meantime, sources confirmed that inspections of these airfields have begun.

These uncontrolled airfields are used by flight training organisations as well as private charter aircrafts and VIPs. They have no full time Air Traffic Control systems, navigation aids and are mostly managed by FTOs, private operators and state governments.

The inspection of the 400 uncontrolled airstrips will map infrastructure gaps as well as emergency services such as firefighting at these airstrips. The move comes in to avoid and remove regulatory gaps in overseeing and monitoring these airfields.

NDTV did an exclusive report on how the Baramati crash put the spotlight on uncontrolled airfields, tracking nine accidents that have taken place at, or in the immediate vicinity of, uncontrolled airfields, investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau since 2013.

While investigators cite different accident-specific causes in each case, the reports do mention missing air traffic services, lack of local weather assessment, inadequate surveillance, and absence of basic navigational aids at these airfields.

On January 28, Ajit Pawar had taken off around 8 am from Mumbai in a Learjet 45 operated by Delhi-based company VSR Ventures. He was scheduled to address four election rallies in his hometown, Baramati, ahead of local body polls. The plane crashed around 8:45 am while attempting a second approach to Baramati Airport.

Besides Pawar, his personal security officer and attendant, and two cockpit crew, pilot-in-command Sumit Kapur and first officer Shambhavi Pathak, were among those on board who died in the crash.